Paralyzed
by justcrazyobsessed
Summary: COMPLETE! The war is over. Hermione ends up in St. Mungo's and shares a room with..Draco Malfoy? Love will bring them together, but will it also split them apart? Read to find out. SEQUEL OUT- LOVE WILL CONQUER ALL! R
1. Whispers in the night

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K.Rowling.   
  
Prologue  
  
War had come upon the Wizarding World. At the end of Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Draco's sixth year at Hogwarts, they had to make a decision: whether or not to fight in a battle to the death. Draco, however, had the hardest decision of all. He was pulled between the two sides. On one hand, his father was a death eater and Draco was expected to fight on his side. On the other hand, there was the girl he loved. If the light side didn't succeed, she would most likely be the first to die (she was, after all, Potter's best friend AND a mud blood) He wanted her to be alive and happy, even if it wasn't with him.   
  
She would never be with him. She didn't even know how he felt about her. HE didn't even know how he felt about her until the war broke out and he started worrying about her far too much for his own liking. When he had to make a choice, SHE was the deciding factor on what he would choose.   
  
He fought for her, though none knew that that was his reason. He abandoned his father, joined the Order of the Phoenix and helped to save the wizarding world from an evil tyrant, Voldemort. Potter of course defeated him. That was his destiny. But he could not have done it without the entire Order's help. Draco was the one who saved Harry "The-Boy-Who-Lived" from being killed by Lucius, who had Harry cornered and defenseless. Draco killed his own father, and for that he was sorry. But it had to come down to it. If he hadn't killed him, Potter would have died, Voldemort would have lived, Hermione would have been killed, and Draco would have lived the rest of his life being tortured with haunting visions of her lifeless form lying on a cold floor somewhere in Malfoy Manor.  
  
When the war was over, Hermione was alive but not in good shape. She was rushed to St. Mungo's and stayed there for what felt to her like an eternity. Harry and Ron were fine after a few days stay. Of course, they had ended up with a couple broken bones, but that was nothing the mediwitches could not mend. What came as a surprise to Hermione however, was the fact that the person she had to share a room with while she stayed at St. Mungo's was Draco Malfoy. She had not been informed of his help in the war until he became her room partner.   
  
He had been hexed into a coma. She cried for him to herself every night before she fell asleep. She had injuries of her own to worry about but Draco's, in her opinion, were far worse. During the war, she had thought herself good enough a witch to fight against the Death Eaters. But she didn't expect to be fighting against ten of them all at once and all on her own. Now she was in the Hospital, because one had performed an ancient hex, so ancient that it had been forgotten and none knew how to treat it. A person could survive and live with the curse, but it paralyzed them from their waist down. The only people in the world that knew this curse were the Death Eaters.   
  
So Hermione and Draco were both in trouble. Draco would not wake up from his coma, no matter how hard they tried, he couldn't wake up. The mediwitches were ready to give up hope… on both of them.  
  
Chapter 1: St. Mungo's  
  
Hermione woke up in a cold sweat. She glanced at her watch, 4:57 A.M. 'Another night of little to no sleep,' she thought drearily to herself. 'If only I could stop having those awful nightmares… if only those memories would just disappear… if only I could wake up and run away… if only my damn legs would work…' She pressed a button and a nurse came running in.   
  
"What can I help you with, Hermione dear?" The lady asked kindly. "Is there something you needed?"  
  
Hermione looked exhausted and weary. "I- I would love some water, please. I'm so sorry to have to ask you for such a small thing but …" Tears welled up in her eyes. She hated having to be helped. She couldn't even get to the bathroom on her own.  
  
"It's more than all right, dear. This is what I am here for - to help you." She smiled warmly at Hermione and walked out of the room. She returned a few minutes later with a glass of ice water. "Here you go." She handed Hermione the water. "Do you need anything else while I'm here? Anything at all?"   
  
"Well I was wondering, when do you think I'll be able to get a wheel chair? It would make it so much simpler for me if I could just get the wheel chair. I wouldn't have to call you for everything, Marie." She had become close with Marie over the few months she had been here. In fact, she considered Marie like a mother figure, considering her own Mother was killed during the war, along with her father. "The doctor said I had to wait a while, try it out while I was still in the Hospital and then he would consider letting me go out and back to school when the new term started. How can I do that if they won't let me get the wheel chair yet?"  
  
"Dear, relax. The doctor will get you the wheel chair. It's just… well… he doesn't want you to get it yet. He's afraid you'll find a way to sneak off in the middle of the night. Strong willed you are… you'd probably think you could do it all on your own. Even when you get the wheel chair, sweetheart, you're still going to need a lot of help, getting in and out of that thing can be tough and I know you're so eager that you'd probably hop right on…"  
  
"Well that's true. Too true. You're right. But it would make my life a lot easier… and you're job as well." Marie went to Draco's bed and began checking on him. "How is he?" Hermione asked with sorrow in her voice.  
  
"Hermione, you never told me if you knew Mr. Malfoy. Did you? Were you two friends at school? He's in your year."  
  
"Yes I know Malfoy. I knew him, at least. I knew the insufferable git that he was. I knew the biased arrogant jerk that he could be… but I didn't know the Draco Malfoy that would fight on the same side as me, and that would risk his life to defend Harry Potter, his supposed worst enemy. Harry told me how he fought in the war, and I have to say that, well, it surprised me to say the least. The Draco Malfoy I knew had no heart. He was mean and cold, but fighting in the war… on OUR side, well… that doesn't sound like him."  
  
"Maybe he changed." Marie suggested.  
  
Hermione sat thoughtfully for a few moments before whispering to herself, "Yes… maybe."  
  
"I'll be off for the night. My shift is over. I'll be back tomorrow evening. Anything you need before I leave?"  
  
Hermione thought for a second. "Yes. Could you help me to get over next to Malfoy's bed. I would like to watch him for a little bit." She knew it sounded weird but… it seemed so right to her. Just watching him 'sleeping'. Marie wheeled her bed over next to Draco's and hugged Hermione.   
  
"Good night Hermione. Try to get some sleep. I know you don't do well sleeping after five A.M. but DO try… please?"  
  
"I'll try but you know me. Restless." Marie left and Hermione sat up in her bed, propped up by the pillows, watching Draco sleep. Her thoughts wandered. All she could think about was how sorry she was that he was injured. He looked like an angel while he was sleeping. She wanted to lean over and kiss him, but she couldn't. She reached out and grabbed his hand in a loving manner. "Draco…" she whispered. "Can you hear my voice? It's me, Hermione. It's early in the morning, and I … well I'm lonely so I thought I would come and talk to you." She allowed a few tears to roll down her face. "I wish… I wish I could have seen you like this before you got hurt… I wish… I wish I had felt this way BEFORE the war. I don't know why I feel it now, but I do. I look at you and my heart is filled with joy and sorrow. My heart soars to just look at you, lying there so peacefully. But then my heart sinks with the realization that you are there and not able to wake up. I want you to wake up, Draco. I need you to wake up. For me. I need to see you awake. I want to hold you, and lay with you. I- I want to be there for you… I love you Draco."  
  
a/n… ok… so how did you like it? I hope you liked it. I have the next chapters all planned out, I just have to type them up. Give me your suggestions if you'd like. No flames please, but constructive criticism is welcome. RandR… pretty please. I've never been in a wheel chair so I don't know how that works so please bare with me. 


	2. Don't Pity Me

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K.Rowling does. L  
  
Hermione lay in bed one morning thinking about Hogwarts. School would be starting tomorrow and her weekly visits from Harry and Ron would end. She allowed a tear to fall down her cheek at the thought. They would be starting school without her. Professor Dumbledore had visited. He told Hermione that she would have been Head Girl had she been able to attend school. Another tear flowed down her cheek. Then her facial expression changed from depressed to determined.  
  
'I'm going to walk again if it's the last thing I do," she declared to herself. The nurse entered, it wasn't Marie but Hermione had become close to this one too. "Hello Sarah. How are you?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I'm lovely, Hermione. Thanks for asking. But it is MY job to ask YOU how YOU are, so let me do it properly. How are you feeling, Hermione? Any better today?"  
  
"Well I've been thinking… do you think the doctor will let someone bring me to the library? I really would like to do some research on the curse and I was thinking that if I could just get my hands on some proper books then maybe… You know, there was never any mystery I couldn't solve by going to the library. It's like home to me and I was just thinking if I could just go… maybe. I don't know. What do you think?"  
  
"I think that sounds like a lovely idea. I'll talk to the doctor and see what he thinks." Sarah replied. At this, Hermione frowned. The doctor didn't like Hermione going anywhere. He wanted to keep her in bed all day long, every day. "Now don't look at me like that. You know I can't let you go without the doctors permission." Hermione tried her best to do a sad little puppy dog face but Sarah wouldn't budge.  
  
"It was worth a try." Hermione said with sadness. "Listen, if the doctor says no, do you think you could do me a favor?"  
  
"I can try. What kind of favor?"  
  
"Do you think you could go to the library for me and pick up books about the dark arts and ancient magic… they'll most likely be hidden in the restricted section."  
  
"Hermione, the restricted section is as it says- RESTRICTED!"  
  
"Come on… please?" she tried her puppy face again but this time, it seemed to work.  
  
"OH all right." Sarah said. "I'll check with the doctor and if he says no, I'll go myself. But Hermione, some of the best doctor's in the world work here. If they weren't able to find anything, what makes you think that you can?"  
  
"I'm Hermione Granger. I've been told that I was the best student to ever attend Hogwarts. If that is true, than I should be able to find a way when others cannot. Just trust me, Sarah. If I didn't think there was a cure, I wouldn't bother. But I have to have hope. I can't just accept the fact that I'll never walk again." tears flowed down her cheeks but she quickly wiped them away. "Listen, just get the books… please?"  
  
"All right. I won't bother asking the doctor. We both know his response."  
  
"What's with him anyway? Why won't he just let me go?"  
  
"He's the doctor, Hermione. The doctor knows best. Just trust him."  
  
"I don't know about that. I get this creepy feeling from him. Like he wants me to be stuck here. I get this queer vibe from him. I just don't like it. Not one bit."  
  
"Okay, well I'll be back tomorrow with those books. Anything you need before I leave?" She looked at Hermione who was now laying comfortably in bed.  
  
"Yes, please. Could you pass me the telephone. I would like to call Harry and Ron before they go off to school so I can wish them luck. With Voldemort dead and Malfoy away, they should have a relatively easy year." Sarah shuddered at the mention of the Dark Lord. "Oh come on. The guy's dead."  
  
"I'd still rather you not mention him so lightly. He was a terrible wizard that killed so many people, muggles and wizards alike. It's just not wise to speak of him in such a casual manner."  
  
"Fine. Anyways… since I've been here, Ron's learned how to use thetelephone. Imagine that? I still remember him telling me about how he yelled into the phone at Harry's uncle." Hermione chuckled to herself at the memory. "So now I would like to call them." Sarah handed her the phone.   
  
"Are they at the Burrow?"  
  
"Yes." Hermione looked down at the floor and whispered so Sarah couldn't hear her, "I wish I was there right now." she didn't want anyone to know how depressed she was. She didn't want pity and being sad always made people pity her even more. She picked up the phone and dialed the number.  
  
"Hello. This is the Burrow. Fred speaking. What can I help you with?"  
  
"Hello Fred. It's Hermione."  
  
"OH Hello Hermione. What a coincidence. We were just talking about you, George and I were. How's St. Mungo's treating you? Mum said it'd be smart to make a trip to the place soon. What do you think about us stopping by, seeing as Ron and Harry won't be able to?"  
  
"That sounds lovely Fred. I'd love some company."  
  
"Must be pretty boring, all alone in that room all day."  
  
"Well I have a room mate."  
  
"Really? Who? Ron didn't tell us."  
  
"Well that's because Ron doesn't like him too much. It's Draco Malfoy."  
  
"MALFOY?!?"  
  
"Yes… but he's in a coma so it's not as bad as all that."  
  
"Well the minute he wakes up, you call us. We'll make sure he goes right back to sleep. That's a promise."  
  
"Thanks but I don't think that when he wakes up, the first thing he'll do is start to terrorize me once more. You know how he got here? He fought in the war. I was told that he killed his own father to save Harry's life. Isn't that something."  
  
"Hardly makes up for everything he's done."  
  
"You sound exactly like Ron. Now I know where he gets it from. Honestly you are all so overprotective. Speaking of Ron… is he around?"  
  
"Hold on… RROOOONNNNNNNNNN!!!!" Fred screamed. "IT'S FOR YOU!!!! Hold on Hermione. He'll be right there."   
  
"Thanks Fred."  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey Ron. It's me."  
  
"Oh hey Hermione. How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine thanks. Just thought I would give you two a call before you left for school. Wish you good luck, you know"  
  
"Thanks Hermione. But this is seventh year. You-Know-Who is dead and Malfoy is gone so I don't think we need to worry."  
  
"That's exactly what I thought you would say. But you still have classes… AND N.E.W.T.S.! Don't you forget that you still need good marks. Please Ron. Just because I'm not there doesn't mean you can slack off."  
  
"You sound like my mum. She said the exact thing. 'Just because Hermione will not be there, that gives you no good reason not to do well in your studies.'" Ron mimicked Molly so well that Hermione had to laugh. "She got very annoying afterwards, accusing Harry and I of leaching off of your brains for the past six years."  
  
"Well… think about it. Is there any truth in that?"  
  
"well… maybe. BUT THAT'S ONLY 'CAUSE YOU LET US!"  
She giggled. "You're right. I let you. And I would let you again if I could. Listen, please just don't slack off. Do well. For me. Please?"  
  
There was a pause and then Ron replied. "Hermione, every good mark I get I will dedicate to you." Then Harry took the phone.  
  
"And every Quidditch match Gryffindor wins will be in your name. But Hermione, there's no Hogwarts without you. You know that, right? We've been best friends since first years. It won't be the same. You're our best friend Hermione."  
  
She did her best not to cry on the phone but her voice still came out strained. "Stop being so mushy, Harry." She forced a laugh. "I'll see you at Christmas I'm sure. And we can owl each other every day. And I'm very determined to get out of this damned hospital and return to school so don't you worry a second. I'm fine."  
  
"Hermione, guess what."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We talked to Dumbledore and he gave us special permission on Hogsmeade weekends to visit you. Isn't that great?"  
  
"Yes, Harry. Fantastic. But I don't want you to."  
  
"why not?"  
  
"I don't want to hold you back from enjoying everything seventh year has to offer you. You go, have fun. Don't worry about me, Harry."  
  
"But…"  
  
"NO! I have to go now. Promise me you'll have a great year, regardless of whether or not I can join you."  
  
"All right, 'Mione. I still don't understand but I promise I'll try my best."  
  
"Thanks. Bye Harry. Tell Ron I said goodbye as well."  
  
"Okay. Bye 'Mione."  
  
After a while, she became so angry with herself that she threw the phone at the wall, causing everyone around to jump. Everyone except Draco. She placed her head in her hands and cried uncontrollably. "Why didn't I let them come? Why didn't I tell them to come, take me away from here, bring me with them? They would have taken care of me. I know them. They're just so perfect like that." She whimpered to himself. All she wanted to do was leave this place.   
  
But then her mind stumbled across another thought. Draco. Suddenly, leaving St. Mungo's horrified her. If she left, she would be leaving Draco all alone. 'NO.' she said to herself. 'I won't leave unless he wakes up. I can't leave him all on his own. He hasn't even had any visitors this entire time. I'll stay for him. And when he wakes up, if I am no longer paralyzed, I will spend much time with him, trying to understand his reasons for joining our side in the war.' She laid her head on her pillow, dried her eyes, and fell asleep.   
  
A/N Thanks so much to all of you reviewers. Yes I know it was a bit cliché to have Draco change all of a sudden and fight for Hermione because he was in love… but it's my story and I like it. Sorry but I DO appreciate your reviews. Thanks to everyone else who reviewed. I don't want Draco to wake up just yet. It would seem to me like it was rushing the entire story and I don't want to do that. I want to take it slow. But I think he'll wake up in chapter four. What do you guys think? Hope you guys liked this one. Read and Review. The more reviews the quicker I'll update. Thanks you guys. 


	3. Paralysis

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K.Rowling does. :( Tear!  
  
Chapter 3: Paralysis  
  
Days had passed since Sarah had visited. Hermione began to think that she would never return. But one day, she did. It was night - 7:00 pm. She walked in and placed five large books on the edge of Hermione's bed.  
  
"This is all that I was able to find. One is on ancient magic. I looked through it and a bunch of the curses were long forgotten. Be careful not to let anyone see it. Some of the spells can be extremely harmful- many are fatal. I really advise you taking extreme care of all of these books. They were put in the Restricted Section for a reason."  
  
Hermione smiled her first real smile since before the war. "Thank you so much, Sarah. I'm forever grateful. I'd love to chat with you but I have so much reading to do. I'll see you later." Hermione grabbed the book on the top and quickly began reading. By midnight her eyelids were heavy and she had found nothing to help her. She fell asleep with the book in her lap.  
  
---  
  
The next day, she woke up later than usual, at 7:00. She quickly hid all the books. The doctor always came to visit around 7:30 and she didn't want him to find them. She reached over and pressed the button for the nurse.  
  
"Hello, Hermione. What can I do for you this morning?" the nurse asked exhaustedly as soon as she walked in. Apparently, Hermione had become the most needy patient within the past two days in all of St. Mungo's.  
  
"I'm so sorry but I was wondering if I could get a copy of the Daily Prophet this morning. I would love something to read. Oh yeah, and I'm extremely hungry. Could you possibly get me something from the cafeteria? Thanks, Simona. You're a doll." Hermione figured that if she was going to have to be here, then she was going to take full advantage of the help provided. Maybe they would get so sick of her eventually that they would kick her out.   
  
The nurse left and came back in a few minutes with a tray. "Here. I got you some eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee. Here's a copy of the Daily Prophet. Anything else you need?"  
  
"Well it is quite cool in here. Would you mind getting me a blanket?"  
  
The nurse went to a closet inside the room. "Anything else?" She asked with an annoyed tone.  
  
"No. That will be all. Tell the doctor I'm awake so if he wants to come early, he can feel free to."  
  
"Will do." Simona left and Hermione began to eat. She didn't eat much though. Just the toast and when she was finished she began drinking her coffee. 'Man would I kill for a Dunckachino from Dunkin Donuts right about now.' She thought to herself.  
  
The door swung open and in walked the doctor. "Hello, Miss. Granger. The nurse informed me you were awake. How are you this morning?"  
  
"I'm fine Doctor Rheiner. Thank you very much. And you?"  
  
"I'm doing great for an man of my age." Hermione looked at him for the first time. He looked old. He had bags under his eyes and wrinkles all over his face. He wore glasses and his hair- was non existent. He was going bald. Hermione had never realized how old he was.   
  
"Well that's good to hear." she replied.  
  
"Now... the nurses told me you've been asking to get a wheel chair."  
  
"Yes. I would very much like to try to get around on my own."  
  
"I don't think that's a very good idea."  
  
"May I ask why not?"  
  
"Of course. It's simple Hermione. The curse that was inflicted upon you, well it was ancient and there are none who know what exactly it was that hit you. I believe it was a 'paralism' spell. It paralyzes a person to a certain extent. Death Eaters used to use this spell in order to terrorize their enemies. It would drive them crazy. You are strong enough to endure it, however. The wizarding community applauds you for it. But this curse, it can have other side effects. Have you ever noticed while the nurses are helping you get into the wheelchair in order to get you places that you suddenly feel faint and woozy?" She nodded. "That's the effects of the spell. I am afraid that it gets more severe with the more stress you put on yourself. I have to go now. I have my rounds to make. I'll be back in two weeks. Then we'll discuss further you getting in a wheel chair." He left and Hermione was thankful the second he was gone.   
  
She hated him with every bone in her body. She hated the fact that he could always find someway to hold her back. He intimidated the nurses... they wouldn't let her do anything without checking with him first. And he made up perfectly good reasons why she couldn't get the wheelchair.   
  
She picked up one of her books and began to read. 'I'll do this with or without his help. With or without anyone's help. I'm all alone.' She looked over at Draco and changed her mind about her last thought. 'I'm not ALL alone. I do have Draco.' She continued reading the book on ancient magic until hours later when she found something useful.  
  
PARALISIS  
  
The incantation, Paralism, is used by dark wizards. It is used against foes they find extremely threatening. Once a wizard or a witch is hit with this curse half of their body is paralyzed. There is no cure for this curse. The paralyzed person may in a period of time, long or short depending on the will of the wizard, be able to walk again. It would take much effort and hard work. But for the rest of their lives, when they strain themselves from hard work, they will become nauseous and need rest. It would be very difficult for a wizard to walk again after this curse and there are only two instances in the history of magic when this has happened.   
  
One wizard, very strong, was attacked by none other than Salazar Slytherin with this curse. This wizard was Godric Gryffindor. It took him six months to walk again. The other instance was a weaker wizard, however stronger than many. His name was Shane Smith. It took him five years to recover. Both are now dead but it was not from the curse. There is no record of any deaths from this curse. None have died from it.  
  
Hermione stopped reading. So she COULD recover. She thought to herself for a few moments and then decided. She would begin her efforts tonight, when the nurses weren't paying attention. 'YES! SOON I WILL BE HEALED!' She thought.  
  
That night, Hermione pulled off her covers and began working hard. You could see it in her face. She was using all of her strength to just move her toes. 'Come on... just move. Wiggle your big toe, Hermione.' nothing. 'Come on.' She sat in strain for about forty five minutes. Nothing except a major headache and some vomiting. Luckily she had a garbage can right next to her bed.   
  
It was half past 10 and Hermione was fatigued from all of the stress. 'Maybe I'll rest now and begin again tomorrow.' She pressed the button and a nurse came in.  
  
"Yes, Miss. Granger?"   
  
"I need to brush my teeth. Could you bring me my toothbrush, toothpaste, and a cup of water please? Oh and please take the garbage away. I kind of ... lost my dinner."  
  
The nurse left with the garbage and returned a few minutes later with the things Hermione asked for and without the garbage. "Thank you very much." Hermione quickly brushed her teeth, rinsed her mouth with the water, and dismissed the nurse. "thank you very much. I won't be needing anything else." The nurse left and Hermione thought silently to herself. 'Wonder why I've never seen her here before. Oh well. Now, I'll go to sleep and tomorrow, I will begin again. I know that if I can just wiggle my toes, the rest will follow.'  
  
She went to sleep that night, and for the first time in what seemed like ages, they were comforting.   
  
--Dream--  
  
Hermione is walking towards a house. Yes, she's is walking. The house is large and it feels like home. It was green on the outside. Dark green with black shudders. She opened the door and called out, "I'm home."   
  
She heard a child running quickly shouting, "Mummy! Daddy, mummy's home!" The little girl rounded the corner and ran straight into Hermione's eyes. "Mummy! We've missed you so much!" the little girl exclaimed.  
  
"I've missed you to Delia. How are you? Did daddy take care of you?"  
  
"I'll have you know that I am a very good father, that you very much." a voice drawled with fake hurt in his voice.  
  
"Sweetheart, you know I was only kidding. So how did you two do on your own? I hope not too poorly?"  
  
The man came over to her and embraced her in a loving hug. "Baby, when are you going to learn that you are not the key to keeping us healthy and safe." He said with a smile.  
  
"But Daddy, I had to go to the hospital and get five stitches!" Delia said with confusion. "When Mummy is not here, I always hurt myself."  
  
Hermione laughed, knowing that her daughter was just accident prone and her husband did as fine of a job as she could have done. "It's all right. As long as everyone is alive and well. Now, let's get some dinner on the table."  
  
"No need. Hibby is working on it." Hibby was the house elf.   
  
"Well then, Delia why don't you go and wash up while Daddy and I go unpack my suitcase."  
  
"okay!" She ran off quickly and as soon as she was gone, Hermione kissed him.   
  
"I've missed you so much, sweetheart. You have no idea."  
  
"I think I do. I could hardly sleep without you right beside me. I wish you hadn't gone away for so long. I missed you with all my heart." He kissed her once more.  
  
"Draco, I love you." she whispered. "But we have to wait until after dinner. Until Delia is asleep." She said with sadness.   
  
"I agree. Let's go unpack you're stuff. I'm never letting you leave again! Mwahahahaha..."  
  
--End Dream--  
  
She sat up in bed. 6:27 a.m. Damnit. It was a good dream. Why couldn't she finish it? She pulled off her covers and quickly began working on what she had begun the night before. 'Wiggle your big toe. Come on girl. Wiggle your big toe.'  
  
Hours passed and Hermione had thrown up twice. Three times the nurse had come in, and three times Hermione had begged for privacy. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, something happened. Her big toes ... they actually wiggled. If she hadn't been paralyzed, Hermione would have jumped for joy. She was now encouraged to continue her task and move the rest of her toes. That would take some more work.   
  
But it would be well worth it.  
  
A/N... Soo... how did you like it? I hope you do. Maybe this will answer some of your questions about charming the wheelchair. I'll try and update soon. I had written a fourth chapter already (once where Malfoy makes his first real appearance) and started the fifth chapter, but it was erased from my computer so I have to start over. I'll try and get it out soon. Thanks to all my reviewers and please, review for this chapter too. I would love to know what you think. You guys are the greatest. 


	4. A Helping Hand

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K.Rowling does. :(  
  
Chapter 4: A Helping Hand  
  
Hermione sat awake late at night listening to all of the sounds around her. She heard nurses chatting a little way down the hall, all of the monitors hooked up to Draco, and of course, his light but constant breathing. Listening to him breathing, it had a comforting effect on her.   
  
She had been working for weeks on her toes and two days ago had succeeded in moving all of them. Now she was working on the ankles, which seemed to be coming along a lot better than the toes. She was already beginning to move them from left to right. She stared at them with disbelief in her eyes. 'I can get my ankles to move left and right but they still won't rotate in a complete circle yet? What kind of crap is that?' She thought to herself.   
  
Every night, the nurse came in around 2:00 a.m. to empty Hermione's garbage can. She stressed herself out every night by two and this was becoming a bad habit. Still, the nurses had no idea what she was doing, which was her goal. They couldn't find out. Then they would tell the doctor and he would probably come back and tell her that she could die from the stress. 'Well that's just bull. Whoever heard of dying because you wanted to rotate your ankles?'   
  
One morning, Hermione believed it to be a Friday, Fred and George stopped by. "'Ello Hermione. 'Ow you doing, ole chap?"   
  
"Oh. I didn't expect to see you two today. I'm fine, thank you George. And yourself?"  
  
The twin that had greeted her looked very offended. "I'm Fred!"  
  
"Oh I'm sorry. I thought I had gotten it down by now. I guess I still need to work on it then, don't I?"  
  
"I was just joshing. I AM George. Sorry but I couldn't resist. You're the only one in the entire world that can tell us apart and I just wanted to make you second guess that. Sorry, Hermione."  
  
"That's perfectly all right, George. All is forgiven. So how have you two been? How's the shop?"  
  
"We're doing great. The shop has really picked up. We've been getting a lot of business from even the adults! Down right funny it was when last weekend Old McGonagall came in asking for some extendable ears."  
  
Hermione laughed. "I can only imagine."  
  
"Sorry we couldn't get here sooner. The shop's just kept us so busy."  
  
"I understand. It's okay. I'm not that bored sitting here all day. I have some books to read. You know me. Read, read, read. Then I get Harry and Ron's DAILY letters. I told them they didn't have to keep writing every day, but they insisted. In fact, nine times out of ten, they write two. One in the morning to tell me what happened last night when they finished writing their last letter and then one at night filling me in on all of the days activities. It's beginning to get very old very quickly. If you two see them, please inform them that I am not a charity case and I do not need their pity!"  
  
"I think they just want to make sure you know that they care for you."  
  
"Tell them I got the point and that they better start to keep their promise or else they'll be in this hospital bed instead of me."  
  
"I think that they would do that for you." Fred said sheepishly. "I think we all would. No one wants to see you like this. It hurts us to see you like this. I don't know about George and me, we aren't really noble or anything like that, but Ron and Harry, they wish every night that they could take the pain INSTEAD of you. That they could have taken your place. That this had happened to them and not you."  
  
"You know what I wish?" Hermione asked.  
  
"What?" The both said with curiousity in their voices.  
  
"FOR THE WORLD TO STOP THINKING I NEED PITY! I'M NOT A BLOODY RETARD WHO CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR HERSELF! I DON'T NEED THEIR HELP NOR THEIR PITY! TELL THEM TO KEEP BOTH!"  
  
A nurse immediately ran into the room with a bucket in hand. She handed it to a suddenly very tired looking Hermione. When Hermione was finished she handed the bowl back to the nurse.  
  
"Miss. Granger, really! Please stop working yourself up like that. If these two are causing you any more stress than you already put on yourself then..."  
  
"NO! They're staying. Don't even think about kicking them out. Harry and Ron can't visit any longer and I need someone to talk to. Fred and George aren't in school any more so they can visit when Harry and Ron can't. They get to stay. If you have a problem with that, I won't aim for the bowl next time. YOU will be my target. Is that clear?"  
  
She gave Hermione a very disapproving look and then left the room, sighing with frustration. "WOAH!" Fred exclaimed. "Telling off the nurses? Defying the authorities? That doesn't sound like the Hermione Granger we used to know back at Hogwarts."  
  
"Well I've changed. Whether for the better or the worse, I do not know. But I am not the same as I once was. Things that used to matter, hold no value to me any longer."  
  
"You make me sad just talking to you." George said glumly.  
  
"NO! Don't be sad. I didn't mean it like that, honestly. I'm happy with my life and I wouldn't change a thing."  
  
"What about who you have to share a room with?" Fred said with a laugh.  
  
"Actually, I wouldn't change that either. I don't know, you guys. There's something about him when I see him like that. I just know that he's changed. I mean, he fought for OUR side, and he killed his own dad. Look at him. He just looks so peaceful and innocent. I can't say I hate him anymore."  
  
They talked for hours, avoiding the subject of Malfoy anymore. When it came time for lunch, they left and she was grateful. "NURSE BETTY!" She yelled. The nurse came in quickly.  
  
"Yes dear?"  
  
"I'm hungry. Could you bring me my lunch now please?"  
  
"Yes of course." The nurse brought in her lunch and when she turned to leave she stopped. "Anything else?"  
  
"No. But I would appreciate if you made sure no one came in my room for a while, until I call again. I need my privacy and I never get that with you nurses always coming and checking on me."  
  
"No problem dear." The nurse left Hermione alone and as soon as she was gone, Hermione fell asleep. She was so exhausted from working every night until two a.m.   
  
When she woke up again, it was late into the evening, 11:30 p.m. 'How could I have slept that I long? I didn't realize I was that sleep deprived. Now I'll never get to sleep tonight.'  
  
She pushed back her blankets and began working with her ankles. After thirty minutes and much to her surprise, they were rotating in circles both clockwise and counterclockwise. 'This is it. Tonight, I walk.' She used her arms and pushed her legs over the edge of the bed. When they hit the floor she was stunned to feel the coldness.   
  
Slowly, she shifted off of the bed and onto her feet. 'I'M STANDING!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I'M ACTUALLY STANDING!' She was so happy at the thought. 'Now here comes the hardest part of all. I need to walk.' She used her hands to grab her right leg and push it forward. She half expected to collapse she was so tired after she succeeded in that. But she stayed standing. 'On to the left leg.' She grabbed her left leg and pushed it forward. 'YES! Still standing!' She thought for a few seconds before deciding on her next move. 'Walking without pushing my legs with my hands.' She tried for a few minutes but nothing was happening. 'Come on... WORK!'   
  
Hours passed and she still hadn't moved from that position. She decided to make one final effort. With all of her might, she stepped forwards. She tried to keep going but she couldn't. The nausea was too much for her to handle and she collapsed.   
  
Hermione thought she would just sit there until a nurse came but then remembered that she had told them to leave her in privacy. 'Damn it all to hell! I'm so stupid. How could I do that to myself?' She began to cry and couldn't stop. For the first time since she had been hit with the curse, she pitied herself. She would lie there until someone came in to check on her in the morning on the cold hard floor in her nightgown. She continued to cry for what felt like another hour until she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waste and life her up. When she looked into the mans eyes to see who he was, she saw a pair of gray eyes staring straight back into hers.  
  
"Don't cry, Hermione. It hurts me to see you so sad."  
  
"This can't be. This must be a dream. I... I must have fallen asleep and now I'm dreaming of you again." She pinched herself to wake up but nothing happened. "Is it really you, Draco?"  
  
A/N... SO it took me HOURS to write this. I was up all last night just planning it out. Thank you guys soo much for your reviews. I would love you to keep reviewing. Tell me what you thought of this chapter. I really loved seeing all the great responses. It's so great seeing all the reviews. The more reviews I get, the quicker I'll update. You guys are like my muse. Keep inspiring me!  
  
REVIEW!!!!!! 


	5. Open Your Eyes

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. :(   
  
Chapter 5: Open Your Eyes  
  
"Is it really you, Draco?"   
  
Hermione tried to sit up in bed, but found she had very little strength. Draco saw her struggling and helped by propping up her pillows behind her back. "Yes, Hermione. It's me. I'm awake."  
  
"But it can't be. Dr. Rheiner told me that you might never wake up and all of a sudden, here you are when I really need you the most and ... oh this is all just so overwhelming."  
  
"I have to tell you something, even though it means overwhelming you even more. I have to tell you, though. You need to know."  
  
"What is it, Draco?"  
  
"I... I... I fought in the war for you. You are the only reason I even bothered getting involved. I've loved you since the end of fifth year. When I was in a coma, all of my dreams revolved around you. I kept trying to wake up. I wanted so bad to wake up and tell you how I felt."  
  
"I... I don't know what to say. I guess the only thing to say is that I feel the exact same way. I haven't loved you for as long as you have me, but I love you just the same. Seeing you there, lying in that bed, not being able to wake up, it pained me to see you like that. You don't know how many times I lied awake at night, sitting by your bedside, holding your hand, praying that you would wake up."  
  
"But I do know, Hermione. I may have been asleep but I could hear every word that you said. I think I remember all of it. You're amazing, the way you open up when you think no one can hear you."  
  
"I wanted you to know me, the way I had gotten to know you. You see, while you were sleeping, I realized a lot about you. You ARE kind and caring, despite what you try to show the world. Otherwise, you would have never fought for the good side. Otherwise, I think you wouldn't have cared who had won either way."  
  
"Hermione, I don't think that you understand. I didn't fight because I was kind and caring. I fought for you. If Voldemort had won, then he would have most definitely made a point of killing you slow and painfully, torturing you until your last breath. You were Potters best friend AND a mudblood. You stood up to him while others cowered at his feet. Yes, Potter was his worst enemy, but you were a close second. He would have made an example out of you to show others who defied him what would happen to them. I didn't want that to happen." Draco turned away from her. He didn't want her to see him cry. "But I failed you, Hermione. I tried so hard to protect you from getting hurt, and instead you wound up paralzyed in St. Mungo's and losing every meal you try to eat." There was a long pause. "I failed you."  
  
Hermione reached out and touched his shoulder so he would turn around. He did and when he looked up at her, she was crying too. "You could never fail me, Draco. You are my knight in shining armor. You are the reason I'm trying to get better. I wanted to heal so that I could get back on my feet and find a way to cure you. No one will let me out of this damned hospital so I can't go, but if I could walk again, then I could go to the library and find cures. I knew I could do it. But now you're awake and ... and you don't need my help. I'm so happy Draco. I feel like crying, but it would be tears of joy, not sorrow. My tears have not been happy ones as of late and I feel that it is time for that to change."   
  
She reached her arms around him and pulled him close to her. Their lips met for a breif second, but the feeling it gave Hermione would linger there for all eternity. When they pulled away, they were both smiling.   
  
"You have no clue how long I've dreamt about that happening." Draco said with his old smirk.   
  
"I see your old self is slowly returning." Hermione replied. She laughed and Draco couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. She was in a silk nightgown and her hair was messed up. Her eyes were red and swollen from the crying but somehow, to him, she still looked like an angel.  
  
"Can I kiss you again?" He asked for her permission, not wanting to rush into anything if she wasn't ready for it.  
  
"I thought you would never ask." was her response. Draco waited only a short second before crashing his lips on hers, claiming them as his. When the kiss was deepened, they both moaned in pleasure. This night would be one to remember.  
  
Simona was walking through the halls in the morning, doing her checks. She went to room B215, Hermione and Draco's room and forced a smile, remembering that she had to be nice to every patient. That included the annoying ones. She entered the room and was extremely shocked to find two bodies in Hermione's bed. 'It can't be. He's in a coma.' She looked to Draco's bed. 'Maybe Hermione just had a visitor last night.' When she saw Draco's bed, she was amazed to find that it was empty. She shrieked, waking up Hermione and Draco. For the first time, Simona realized that neither of them were wearing clothes.  
  
Hermione just smiled. "Oh, hello Simona. Good morning. Since you're here, would you mind getting me some tea." She looked at the man next to her with a smile. "Draco, anything for you?"  
  
"I was wondering if I could get some good and solid food. You see, I didn't enjoy much being fed through a tube. I ripped it out as soon as I woke up. Hurt like hell it did. But I'm feeling much better now and I would love some, hm.. let's see. I would love some bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, a bagel, maybe even some french toast with syrup."  
  
Hermione smiled warmly at him. "You must not be very hungry," she said sarcastically. Then, she turned and looked at Simona. "Please hurry. I believe he will starve to death if we don't feed him soon." She was joking around but it worried Simona, so the young nurse quickly ran out of the room to get the food. "I think I scared her."  
  
"No. I think it's a combination of me being awake, us being naked, and you smiling again." He kissed her and began to stand up.  
  
"Where are you going?" She asked with obvious disappointment in her voice. He just turned around and smiled.  
  
"I haven't been able to properly shower in months. I just had a night of very passionate sex and I am a very dirty man right now. I think it's time I shower."  
  
"Eat breakfast with me and then we can shower together. I think that's the best idea, don't you?"  
  
"You always have the best ideas, Hermione."  
  
Simona rushed in with their food as Draco sat back down on Hermione's bed with her. Hermione wasn't hungry but enjoyed watching Draco eat all the food that he could fit in his mouth at once, savoring every bite. When they were done eating, neither of them wanted to get up just yet so they started to talk.  
  
"When will you return to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked Draco. "I mean, I'm sure you'll be wanting to leave as soon as possible. This place isn't much fun."  
  
"I'm staying as long as you're staying. But with my help, you're not going to be here for that much longer. I heard you reading all about the curse so I know all about it. Don't worry. You'll get through this. We'll work every day, at least three hours a day. I'll be your physical therapist. We'll start with the toes and ankles, even though I know you've already got them working. I think you should take this a little slower than you were trying to. Really make sure you've got one before you move on to the next. Then, we'll move on to walking. Right now, why don't I just carry you to the bathroom so we can take a bath?"  
  
"You know, I haven't been able to properly shower in a while either. The nurses always have to bring me and then I bathe. I miss showering."  
  
"Baby, don't worry. You'll be showering again in no time, but I think we should keep you in the bath for now. Let's not overexert you with too much. Being able to stand, you'll get to that. But I don't want a repeat of last night. I was worried when I saw you collapse on the floor. Who would have been there for you if I hadn't been awake?"  
  
"Draco, I have a question."  
  
"What is it, Hermione?"  
  
"When did you wake up? Was it just last night when I fell or had you been watching me for a while?"  
  
"I've been awake for 48 hours now. I woke up two mornings ago. I was too weak to say anything and I wanted to watch you for a little bit. Once I realized where I was and why you were here, everything rushed into my head. I needed a little time before I could REALLY wake up. I didn't want to be overwhelmed or to overwhelm you for that matter. It was easy pretending to sleep when anyone was looking at me because ninety percent of the time, my eyes were closed. I was content in just hearing your voice."  
  
He bent down to pick her up and when his arms wrapped around her, she kissed him. "Let's not go just yet. Let's get a little more dirty before we need to get clean again."  
  
"Fine with me."  
  
Weeks had passed and Draco was very pleased with Hermione's progress. She was walking now (only about twenty steps at a time before she collapsed but Draco was always there to catch her and it was better than not being able to walk at all.) The nurses weren't aware of Hermione's efforts. She wanted to surprise everyone with it.   
  
Fred and George had stopped by again and Draco pretended as if he was still in a coma. He didn't like it but she had begged him to do so. She didn't want Fred and George to get protective of her. Then, they would have gone to tell Ron and Harry and then all hell would break loose.   
  
She and Draco discussed when they would make their return to Hogwarts and decided that it would be right after Christmas break. They had tutors come and teach them in all of the subjects so they would be caught up. Hermione planned on using a wheelchair for a little while and then, beginning to walke again. Slowly but surely, she would become normal again, even if it killed her. Christmas was in two weeks and they were both getting very anxious. Hermione planned on telling the doctor of her progress as soon as she saw him next. Then, even if he said no, they would leave. It was agreed. They couldn't force them to be there. Draco was allowed to leave whenever he wanted to (the doctor had already told him he could.)  
  
Hermione and Draco were sitting in their bed (they had gotten one large bed, considering they didn't plan on sleeping apart now that they had just gotten together) and were playing a muggle board game, clue.  
  
"I guess it was Miss Scarlet, in the library, with the candlestick." Hermione guessed. Draco laughed.  
  
"Uh-uh-uh! Are you sure about that?"  
  
"Yes. I already asked you if you had Miss Scarlet and you said no. I asked about the library and you said no. So I asked about the candlestick and You said NO! Therefore, it must be Miss Scarlet, with the bloody candlestick, in the god forsaken library. And don't question my guess."  
  
"Well I wouldn't, except for the fact that you never asked if I had Miss. Scarlet. Which I do. So your guess is invalid and you lose the game."  
  
"Oh fishsticks. Darn! I really thought I had asked you about Scarlet. Oh well. I guess it's time we start working and stop fooling around."  
  
"Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea. Come, let's get to work." He helped her out of bed despite her protests. She wanted to do it all by herself.  
  
"Let me get out of bed all by myself, Draco. I can do it."  
  
"I think I had better help you for a while, until we're sure you can do it."  
  
"How am I ever going to be able to do it on my own if you won't let me do anything by myself? Let me do it, Draco."  
  
He backed away in defeat. "I just don't think it's a good idea to wear you out before you even start the real work. Don't you think?"  
  
"NO! I think I can handle it. ON MY OWN! Thanks but this is just something I need to do. Relax." She carefully lifted herself out of bed and onto the floor. She stood all by herself and Draco was really impressed. He reached out an arm for her to lean on but instead she just took his hand. "Walk with me."   
  
He obeyed her orders and they began walking. He opened the door for them to walk through and for the first time, Hermione was walking through the corridors of St. Mungo's. She smiled, knowing that people were staring at her. She loved their reactions. "Look, baby. You're doing it." Draco whispered.  
  
She smiled at him. "I knew that I could. Come on. Show me where Dr. Rheiners office is. I want to go and show him our new charming little development." Draco led the way, because he had been there before. Since he had woken up, he had often gone to the office to check on what the Doctor thought about Hermione leaving with him. The doctor always said no.  
  
When they stopped, the door had a sign on it that read: Dr. Rheiner, Healer. Hermione twisted the knob and opened the door. She was horrified to find the doctor having his way with what looked like a teenage girl to Hermione and Draco. Hermione was so shocked that she shrieked in horror, and Draco quickly led her out of the room, closing the door behind them.  
  
"Let's just sit in these chairs over here and wait for him to come out. Now that we've 'interrupted' him, he'll probably be wrapping things up very quickly."  
  
"Draco, I do NOT want to wait for that prick. We are leaving this place. NOW! He is a pedophile! That girl couldn't be any more than sixteen. It's illegal. I'm sure he pressured her into having sex with him. He must have."  
  
"You don't know that, Hermione. Don't go making accusations. Innocent until proven guilty."  
  
"No, Draco. Haven't you ever gotten the eaky vibe from him? He's evil, I can feel it. Don't you?"  
  
"Well, now that you mention it. He is always telling me I should just leave you here. It's quite possible it's only because he wants to make a move on you, knowing that you're too weak to defend yourself without your wand. He's always saying that I'm healthy and no longer need to stay here. He's trying to push me out of here. It's possible that he just wants to get you alone."  
  
"You see what I mean, Draco. And he was always finding ways to keep me from getting better. He MUST have known that I could heal. He's not a complete fool. I was able to find it out and I was in a bed every day. If I could find out information on the curse, why couldn't he?"  
  
"You've got a point. Okay, let's just go back to the room, pack up all of our stuff and leave as quick as possible."  
  
"Agreed. But if this is going to be as quick as possible, you'd better carry me. Walking, I can do that. Running? I'm not so sure about it. I don't want to risk further injury and needing to stay any longer." He nodded in agreement and quickly swept her off of her feet.   
  
They ran back to their room and packed their bags. Draco decided that they would apparate to Hogsmeade and stay at a hotel there. Then, after they had spoken to Dumbledore, they would return to Hogwarts. Draco wasted no time apparting them to the hotel.   
  
Once there, he approached the front desk, Hermione still in his arms but he had dropped their suitcases in the middle of the lobby. "Excuse me sir. I'd like a room please. We'll be staying for a while so please make it a suite."  
  
"Would you like the newlywed suite, sir. Room 835?" The man at the desk asked.  
  
Draco gave Hermione his world famous smirk and speedily replied. "Yes. That sounds good. Send a bellboy with out luggage." He pointed to the bags on the ground. Then, he turned and went to the elevator. He pushed the number 8 and when the elevator stopped, they were on the eighth floor. "Come, Mrs. Malfoy. Our honeymoon suite awaits, my princess."  
  
A/N Okay... so here's the next chapter. What'd you think? Tell me in a review. For those readers who don't review, please try to change that. I really love hearing what you guys think. I would thank you all personally but after writing so much, my fingers hurt. For CEREZA, thanks. I made this one longer than most. I put two chapters together. I wanted to end somewhere in the middle and split in up but I decided not to b/c you wanted longer chapters.   
  
Just so you guys understand: Dr. Rheiner was raping the teenager in St. Mungo's. That's why Hermione was always creeped out by him because she could sense that he was evil. And he had been trying to get draco to leave so that he could get Hermione alone and rape her too.   
  
Now they're in Hogsmeade, and they are safe. FOR NOW! Who know what my twist my sick little mind will come up with.   
  
Please read and review. I love to see your thoughts. You guys are the greatest. Keep on telling me what you think and I'll keep updating as soon as possible. I'm really trying to get one out every other day but it's tough. I volunteer everyday for at least and hour so cut me a little slack. I'm not God.  
  
Now, I just got back from babysitting and I'm wiped out. Who ever knew taking care of little kids could be such hard work? They're little brats of course. Tomorrow is the weekend so I should have time to work on chapter 4. 


	6. Returning Home

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Blah blah blah. Whatever.  
  
Chapter 6: Returning Home  
  
Hermione and Draco were very happy at the hotel. Since Draco had inherited all of the Malfoy fortune, they ordered room service and stayed in most of the day. Some days, Draco would bring Hermione shopping and they had the greatest time together. They enjoyed getting to know each other again and almost forgot all about school.   
  
One day, Dumbledore came to visit them in their room. "Hello, Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger. I see you two are doing well on your own." He said pleasantly.  
  
"We're quite happy here, actually. It's a charming hotel and the people around here are really great. We went to Flourish and Botts yesterday and it was amazing." Hermione exclaimed. "Look! I've picked up some new books on Potions and Transfiguration." Then her smiled faded. "But I am getting anxious to go back to school. When do you think we will be allowed to return?"  
  
"Well, I don't see why you can't return tomorrow, Ms. Granger. Everyone at Hogwarts really misses you two. Especially Harry, Ron, Vincent and Gregory. They're not the same without you. As a matter of fact, I suspected you would be returning to school this year so I did not fill the Head Girl Position, OR the Head Boy position either. I had the prefects doing your jobs. You two, when you return, will be the Head Students. How does that sound?"  
  
Hermione was so happy that she could have jumped for joy (but she wasn't quite there yet.) She stood up and gave Dumbledore an unexpected hug. "I'm so excited. Draco, did you hear that? We get to go back! And you will be head boy! And I will be head girl! And this is all just so overwhelming and..." she was getting so ahead of herself that her legs gave out from excitement. Draco caught her before she hit the floor.  
  
"Sweetheart, maybe we should keep you out of school for a little longer. Maybe you're not ready to go back." Draco said to her. He cared about her so much and didn't want to see her get hurt.  
  
"NO! I'm fine, Draco. I just got a little carried away with the good news. Come on. I have a plan. I'll start by only going to a few classes a day, not too much. Then, when I'm ready, I'll take on my full schedule again."  
  
"It seems you thought this whole thing through." Dumbledore said with a smile. "If you think you are ready, then you can come back right now with me. I must be going now though. I didn't tell anyone where I was going and if they notice that I'm gone, they tend to go a little nutty. Are you two ready?"  
  
Draco stood up and quickly said a spell to pack all of their belongings. "I am ready. What about you, 'Mi?" 'Mi was his nickname for Hermione. She loved hearing it. It was his way of telling her that he loved her.  
  
"I've been ready. I was born ready. What are we waiting for?" Hermione began to stand up but Draco stopped her.  
  
"You're still weak. Why don't I carry you there? Let's not wear you out before you even get there."  
  
She smiled weakly at him. "You always treat me like I'm precious and like I'll break with the smallest of touches. Why?"  
  
"Because 'Mi. You're the most important thing to me. I will never let anything happen to you." He lifted her up and kissed her passionately. Then Dumbledore cleared his throat to remind them that he was still in the room.  
  
"You two really do make a wonderful couple. Now, we can apparate to Hogwarts if you will just hold my hand. I am the only one that is able to apparate into Hogwarts. As long as you are connected to me while I apparate, we will all get there in one piece." He reached out his hand and Hermione took it. Soon, there was a loud popping noise. Hermione had closed her eyes when they were apparating and when she opened her eyes, she was in awe.  
  
"This is the Head Tower. This will be your common room. To the right, down that hallway is your room, Hermione. And Draco, on the left, down that corridor, is your room. You have an adjoining bathroom. I will leave you two here to get acquainted with your new living spaces. Goodbye."  
  
As soon as he was gone, Draco carried Hermione up to her room. "I have to go and talk to some of the teachers. They want to know what kind of progress we have been making. I'll send Scarhead and Weasel up here to take care of you while I'm gone."  
  
"NO!" She shouted. "I mean, I don't want them here. They just, well, I don't, I don't really want to... I don't know. I don't want to overwhelm myself I guess. I didn't tell them I was coming back... or ... or about..."  
  
He looked at her and used his eyes to ask her what she was saying but then he figured it out all by himself. "You didn't tell them about us yet, did you?"  
  
She looked down at her feet, avoiding his eyes. She didn't want him to be angry with her. "No, I didn't. I didn't want to tell them in a letter. It just seemed so, so awkward. What do I tell them? 'Dear Harry and Ron, So guess what. Your worst enemy woke up from a coma and confessed his undying love for me. And then, I confessed my love for him. And then we kissed and now he's my boyfriend. See you at school.' I mean, I wanted to tell them in person. You understand, don't you?" She looked up and her eyes met with his. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine.  
  
"Fine. I guess I understand. I'll go tell Dumbledore to find Potty and Weasel to spend time with you. Bye." He left and Hermione couldn't help but feel very alone. 'I hope he's not mad at me.' she thought to herself.  
  
Half an hour later, Harry and Ron were knocking on the portrait hole. "HERMIONE! IT'S US! LET US IN! PLEASE!" Ron shouted.  
  
She got up from the couch slowly and walked to door. She opened it and then walked away before they even entered. "Shut the door behind you once you've come in." She ordered. She was tired and weak from the day and really just wanted Draco to come back.  
  
Harry immediately ran and hugged her. "Hermione! We've missed you so much. Why didn't you tell us you got better? How did you get better? I thought that they had no idea how to cure it."  
  
"YEAH!" Ron joined in, giving Hermione a hug as well. "We didn't think you'd ever be able to leave St. Mungo's!"  
  
"Well if you two would quiet down for a moment, I can explain." She launched into an explanation of how she got to this point in time, careful to leave Draco out of all of it. She still wasn't sure how to explain it to them.  
  
"Wow, 'Mione. You really ARE the smartest and the strongest witch ever to come to Hogwarts." Harry exclaimed.  
  
"I'm just one notch away from you, Harry." Hermione joked. They all laughed but after a few minutes, Hermione's face became serious. "Guys, I have to tell you something. But you guys have to promise not to scream or yell at me. I'm still very weak and tired and I can't take any more stress."  
  
"I'm sure that whatever it is, we're not going to yell at you, Hermione." Ron assured her. "But we promise. Don't we, Harry?"  
  
"Yes, yes. Of course. There will be no yelling or screaming going on here."  
  
"Okay. Well, I had some help in getting better. I was trying to do it all by myself but one day, I collapsed and I was crying. Then, I was picked up off the ground and to my surprise, it was Draco Malfoy. He had woken up from his coma. Well, we talked and then, he told me that he fought in the war... for me."  
  
"Hermione, I'm so sorry. Ew, it must be horrible knowing that Malfoy's in love with you." Harry exclaimed with pity in his voice.  
  
"NO! Harry, you don't understand. I feel the exact same way about him. I love Draco and I know it's weird but he makes me happy and I hope you guys can be happy for me."  
  
Ron looked shocked. Taken back. He couldn't understand what had just happened. "Wait a minute. Hold up. Rewind. Did you just tell us that you are in love with the man who has terrorized us for six years, the man who has called you names in order to insult you. This is Malfoy we're talking about, Hermione."  
  
"I know. But he's changed. You guys don't know him like I do. He's kind and gentle. He loves me and he's always there for me when I need him."  
  
"Hermione, I'm happy that you're happy but I don't know that I can accept that you are happy with Malfoy. He's our worst enemy." Harry said.  
  
"I know he's your worst enemy, guys. But I love him. And if you cannot accept my relationship with Draco, then our friendship is one that will only go on forever in our memories."  
  
Harry and Ron looked at eachother and then sighed reluctantly. "All right, Hermione. If he makes you happy, then we won't stand in your way. We'll be by your side for all eternity. You're our best friend. Not even Malfoy can ruin that." Ron said with a grin.  
  
"Yeah, 'Mione. We're here for you." Harry added.  
  
Hermione broke down in tears. "I'm so glad to hear you say that. I don't know if I could have survived without your friendship. You two mean the world to me."  
  
After a few hugs and a little bit of time of Hermione drying her tears, they began talking like old times. "So, we're doing well in Quidditch. The team hasn't lost a game." Ron said. "Harry is the captain. Ginny's doing well too. She's really learned quite a few new moves from Fred and George. Oh yeah, speaking of them. They said they stopped by. We're sorry you felt like we were pitying you. We just wanted you to know that we weren't going to forget about you."  
  
"I know. I just couldn't handle everything then. I was very tired of seeing the nurses give me looks of sorrow and I just had to blow up at something. You two happened to be the first thing I thought of. My apologies." She said with a smile.   
  
"It's okay." Harry assured her. "We figured it was something like that. Anyway, do you want to go with us this weekend to Hogsmeade? There's a trip this weekend."  
  
"I don't know. I want to talk to Draco first. He's kind of mad at me and I really need to work things out with him before I make plans without him."  
  
"Why are you two in a fight?" Ron asked.  
  
"Because I told him that I had not yet told you two that we were together. He didn't seem to like that very much. And who could blame him. If he told me that he wanted to keep us a secret I would have thought that he was ashamed of me. But it's not that I was ashamed of him, I just didn't want to ruin my friendship with you guys. I wasn't sure if you would be able to accept him and me together."  
  
"We're sorry we were the cause of your fight." Harry said. "But you could bring him with us to Hogsmeade if you'd like. We should probably get to know him if we want to spend any time with you. I'm guessing you'll be glued at the lips."  
  
Ron looked confused. "I thought the saying was 'Glued at the hips'. Why did you say lips?" Then it struck him. "Oh, wait. Don't answer that." Hermione and Harry both began laughing and Ron turned a bright shade of pink.   
  
Soon it got late in the night and it was time for them to leave. They each gave her a hug goodbye and left. As soon as they were gone, it struck Hermione as weird that Draco still wasn't back.   
  
'Where could he be? I know he's mad at me but he has to come back to the room sooner or later. I told Harry and Ron now. I want to tell him the good news.' Hermione thought. She began to worry that something may have happened to him but she knew that Hogwarts was safe so she calmed down.  
  
She decided that she would go and check out the library before she went to sleep. She exited through the portrait hole and began walking. She was walking down an empty corridor and suddenly grew very scared. She could have sworn she heard footsteps behind her. She whizzed her head around to see who was there but there was no one. She decided to pick up her pace. Again, she heard a sound from behind her but this time she did not look around to see who it was. She broke into a jog. She was surprised to see that she could actually jog but then felt herself getting weaker and weaker by the moment. 'I just have to make it to the Library. Then whoever is behind me will go away.' She decided to run. She started running but eventually her body gave way and she collapsed, crying on the ground. The footsteps were coming closer to her.  
  
"Go away! Leave me be!" She shouted. "I'm not afraid of you!" That was her last effort to scare off her attacker. Before she knew what was going on, she heard a voice cry,   
  
"STUPEFY!"  
  
Hermione went as stiff as a board. She couldn't move. 'This reminds me of when I was paralyzed. I've never been stupefied before. I don't like it very much.' She tried to shout for help but she couldn't. So, she closed her eyes and let sleep overcome her.  
  
A/N okay. I have a long list of people to thank for all of the chapters so instead I'll just say thanks. I really enjoy getting your reviews. I've been working all day on this even though I feel really sick and my sister is getting ready for prom. I basically neglected her all day and just sat at the computer. I'm really trying to make you reviewers happy but it's hard work. I feel so tired right now, it's not even funny.   
  
I'm real sorry to leave you off with a cliffhanger but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I like this chapter a lot. I hope you guys did too. This one is probably my favorite chapter. It's the first time you see the couple argue and see how they act once they're not in their own little bubble anymore.   
  
It's going to get harder and harder for them so stick around and just keep reading, please. I promise to keep on writing if you promise to keep on reviewing. Deal? Tell me in your review NOW!  
  
I'm sure there are a lot of you who read the story but don't review so I hope that you are liking the story thus far. I wish you would review to tell me what you think.   
  
Thanks to all my repeated reviewers. You guys ROCK! I LOVE YOU!  
  
Okay... also... I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I wrote this on April seventeenth. I wanted to post it as soon as I was done but my internet shut down and I have to use the library computers at school to post (and they won't let you on if it's not for homework so I have to be really sneaky) I want to kill my computer for not letting me get on the freaking internet. I don't know what to do. My mom is going to cancel aol and get net zero. Do any of you have netzero? Does it work well? Tell me all about it in a review or an email. My email address is mirkwooddreams28@aol.com (For the time being)   
  
Thanks everyone. 


	7. The Prophecy

Disclaimer: Yes, I don't own Harry Potter. We know this already. Whatever.   
  
Chapter 7: Prophecy  
  
Hermione woke up with a huge headache. She was cold and hungry and in a lot of pain. She tried to sit up but found it too hard and the struggle was just too great. She looked around and realized that she was in a dungeon. Then, she heard voices from far away coming closer and closer. She wondered who they were but was not in a hurry to find out. Whoever it was attcked her last night and she didn't want to see what else they would do to her. She closed her eyes as the voices came even closer. All of a sudden, the voices stopped. She opened her eyes and found two bodies standing in front of her.  
  
"Well, well. I think the mudblood is awake." It was Pansy Parkinson. Blaise Zambini was standing right next to her.  
  
"How are you feeling, mudblood? Did you have a good rest?" Blaise asked sarcastically. "We've been waiting for you to wake up. Now that you're here, we can get the questions over with and begin having fun."  
  
"WHY AM I HERE?" Hermione shouted with rage. "WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?"  
  
"Now, now. No need to get all upset. We brought you here to send a message to Draco. We want him to realize the error of his ways. Once he hears our proposal, he will see the light and join us, becoming our Dark Lord."  
  
"The dark side has been defeated, Zambini. Voldemort fell. Harry killed him. It's over. Get over it. Stop whining because you lost."   
  
Pansy kicked Hermione hard in the stomach. "Just because the Dark Lord is dead doesn't mean the dark side is defeated. We are still alive and gathering more and more forces by the day. We will recover from our loss at the battle, and we will emerge even stronger for it. Make no mistake, the light side will be defeated and you and all your little Gryffindor friends will die."  
  
"Pansy, relax." Blaise ordered. "No one is going to die anytime soon." Then he turned to Hermione. "The point Pansy was trying to make before she got carried away was that, yes, we are a diminished group. But no, we are not extinct. All we need is a strong leader. As you probably already know, Voldemort was unable to produce an heir. Therefore, the throne would go to his right hand man, Lucius. Lucius was killed so then Voldemort's throne will go to his right hand man's son. That is Draco."  
  
Hermione screamed in horror. "Why do you still want him to be your Lord anyway? He fought against you! He killed Lucius! He's a traitor. Why don't you just turn your back on him and ignore him, denying him the friendship you used to share. I don't understand. How can you 'forgive' him for fighting against you?"  
  
"And I thought that you were supposed to be the smartest witch to ever have come to Hogwarts." He laughed. "At Draco's induction ceremony, we will combine his blood with the blood of the greatest wizards of our time, Salazar Slytherin and Lord Voldermort. Once his blood is combined with theirs and a simple spell is uttered, their personalities will begin to combine. He will no longer want to protect little mudbloods like you. Instead, he will want to squish them, and torture them just for thinking that they are worthy to breathe the same air as he does. NOW, do you understand?"  
  
Hermione thought for awhile before remembering this prophecy. "Yes, I understand. I've even heard of this induction ceremony taking place. I've also read a few prophecies on it. The thing is, in all of the prophecies that I've read, your new Dark Lord goes head to head in a duel against the leader of the light, which of course will be Harry. In the end, Harry comes out victorious. The book is in the library if you don't believe me. Of course, it's in the restricted section so you'd have to sneak in and break a few rules but I doubt any of you Slytherins would mind that much. The book is called Prophecies of the War. Page one hundred and ninety two is where you will find the prophecy that I was explaining to you."  
  
"Yes we have heard this but we have also heard how to counter it. So, please, mudblood, don't waste our time boring us with things we already know are insignificant."  
  
Hermione just sighed. She highly doubted that they knew the counter to the prophecy because even she could not find it. She had done a lot of research on the prophecy one day. For some reason, it captivated her and she wanted to read more about it. She referenced the prophecy in five different books and all of them said the same thing. 'At the induction ceremony of the new Dark Lord, the Dark Side will fall. A battle will come when the Dark Lord must face his equal and fade into shadow. It is inevitable.' She had to think for a little while before realizing who the Dark Lord's equal was going to be but after much thought, she stumbled upon the correct answer. Of course it would be Harry. Harry was the strongest wizard in the Defense Against the Dark Arts and could easily step up and lead the light side to victory.  
  
"Now, we've written a ransom note to Draco. I'm sure he'll be here any moment now. We told him to come alone and wandless and if he does not listen to those instructions, you will be killed. Make no mistake, Granger. You are NOT a necessary part of our plan. You are completely disposable."  
  
"I wouldn't be too sure that he would come, Zambini. Draco and I had a, well our first fight and I don't know if he's still mad at me or not. But I would assume he is. I know him pretty well by now and I know that he is one to hold grudges."  
  
"He would never leave you here with Death Eaters. Merlin Granger, are you that thick? You honestly believe that he would leave you here to die? By Pansy's hands?"  
  
Pansy squealed with pleasure. "Can I really kill her if he doesn't show up, Blaise? Please? Can I?"  
  
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it, Pansy dear."  
  
Pansy began cackling evilly and Hermione just didn't think she could take much more of it. Pansy's voice was really getting on her nerves. "Can you please just SHUT UP!" Hermione shouted at the top of her lungs. Pansy stopped laughing but the smile stayed on her face.  
  
"You know, for a mudblood, you have a lot of guts. I can't wait to see what they look like." Pansy picked Hermione up by her hair and chained her to the wall. "How about we start with just a little bit of non magical torture and then we move on to the crucio curse." Pansy said with glee. She took out a dagger and brought it to Hermione's leg. Slowly, she made a small cut in her upper thigh. Hermione was now in pain but refused to let Pansy know this. She kept on a strong face.  
  
"Pansy, don't hurt her too much. I want her alive when Draco comes. I want him to see her alive and remember why he loves her so much and that he would do anything for her" Blaise said with a laugh.   
  
"Right, don't worry Blaise. I'll keep the bitch alive. I just want to have a little fun. I want to make her bleed. I want her to beg me to kill her. When I'm done with her, she'll be pleading for me to get it over with."  
  
"Good. As long as she stays alive and conscious, you may have all your fun. I'll be right in the next room if you need me." Blaise left and Hermione became very scared. Pansy was sick and twisted. She didn't want to find out what she was going to do.   
  
"Listen, Pansy. You don't want to do this. As soon as Draco gets here, if he even comes, he'll stop you. Then, you and Blaise will go to Azkaban. You know that's how it will happen. Even if you kill me, that's not going to make Draco want to join your side."  
  
Pansy was obviously angered by this because then she took the dagger and stuck it in Hermione's stomach about three inches deep. "You'll do well to hold your tongue, mudblood, unless you want to lose it." Hermione still did not scream out in pain or even let a single tear drop. She was going to show Pansy that she was stronger than this.  
  
"So Pansy, I know you're jealous that I got Draco and you didn't but let's face it, you two didn't make a good couple to start out with. But just because Draco dumped you doesn't mean you should go and get all psycho." Pansy's face turned red and she punched Hermione in the face. "Is that all you've got, Parkinson? I should have known. Draco did tell me you were weak. I guess he was right."  
  
Pansy placed the dagger on Hermione's left wrist. "I'm going to make you bleed until you die, you little mudblood whore."  
  
"Honestly, is mudblood the best thing you can think of to call me? You're a pathetic excuse for a Slytherin. Even I would be better suited for the Slytherin house than you are."  
  
Pansy took this as a sign that Hermione wanted more pain and began making deep cuts in Hermione's left arm. By now, Hermione couldn't care less what Pansy did to her. She figured that they were just going to kill her anyway. Why not make it sooner?  
  
"Come on, Parkinson. Give me your worst. I can take it."  
  
"It's funny, Granger. I can see it in your eyes. You've already accepted your fate, haven't you? You know that you are going to die and there is no way you can avoid your own death. I never thought that I would live to see the day when Hermione Granger gave up and accepted her destiny, to die a slow and painful death."  
  
"You call this painful? I've had paper cuts that hurt worse than this. This is just a walk in the park for me."  
  
Pansy laughed. "Well then, let's get down to the real fun, shall we?" She reached into her pocket and retrieved her wand. "CRUCIO!" Hermione doubled over in pain but still did not scream.   
  
"Parkinson, I refuse to give you the satisfaction of seeing me scream. I am stronger than you think I am and not even the cruciatus curse is going to bring me down."  
  
"CRUCIO!"  
  
Again Hermione felt the pain taking over her body but still she would not budge. She mumbled something under her breath.  
  
"What was that, mudblood?"  
  
"I said... more."  
  
"As you wish. CRUCIO!" Hermione would have clutched her stomach if her hands had not been chained to the wall.  
  
Hermione closed her eyes and let the pain take her. She didn't cry or scream. Instead, she just passed out.  
  
Draco was walking back to his room. He had visited all of their teachers, including the ones that Hermione had but he didn't. He tried to stay out as late as possible, hoping Hermione would be asleep when he got back because he didn't really want to talk to him. He was still mad at her for not wanting to tell Potter and Weasley.  
  
'How could she not want to tell them? I feel like shouting it off rooftops that I love her and would die for her and yet she's afraid to tell her best friends? I don't understand it. How dare she?' Draco was livid by the time he got back to the common room. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.   
  
He walked straight up to his room, not even glancing towards hers. He quickly got changed and hopped into bed. Tossing and turning was getting him nowhere. He couldn't sleep and he knew he wouldn't be able to until he and Hermione had settled this argument.   
  
Draco stood up, walked through the bathroom that connected their rooms and entered her room. Nothing. There was no one there. He walked down to the common room. No one there either. He saw a note on his bedroom door that he had neglected earlier. He went and picked it up to read it. It said:  
  
Draco Malfoy,  
  
We have the mudblood. If you wish to see her again before she dies   
  
then you will have to meet us in the Slytherin Dungeons as soon as   
  
you get this note. Come alone and do not even think about bringing   
  
your wand. We suggest you come quickly because we do enjoy having  
  
our fun with her.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
  
  
Blaise & Pansy  
  
Draco was infuriated. How dare they steal his Hermione and even admit in their letter that they were torturing her? They were going to pay for this. 'If they've harmed one hair on her head I'm going to Avada Kedavra them right to the grave.'   
  
He ran down to the Slytherin Dungeons and he could hear Pansy's cackling from far away. He was just about to enter the room he heard Pansy's voice coming from when a hand reached out and stopped him. It was Blaise.  
  
"So nice of you to join us, Malfoy. Your mudblood wasn't so sure you would but we knew you better than that."  
  
"Zambini, I swear if you let Pansy alone with her I'm going to..."  
  
"You'll what? Listen, Malfoy. We are the ones in control so stop trying to make threats. We are the ones who have your girlfriend tied up and tortured. I suggest you listen to our offer before you go and decide on a plan of action first."  
  
"I'll listen to what you have to say but I'm warning you, it better not include Hermione's death or else."  
  
"Let's discuss this with the girls present." He opened the door that led into the room. "Shall we?"  
  
Malfoy stepped forward first and ran to punch Pansy in the face. "I swear to Merlin I'm going to rip your head off and make a bowl out of it considering it's already so very empty."   
  
Blaise ripped him off of Pansy and sat Draco down. Pansy calmed herself and took a seat as well. Blaise walked over to check on Hermione's condition, then walked back to the other two. Draco tried to stand up and run to her but Blaise and Pansy sat him back down.  
  
"Here's our offer. You come back to the dark side, become our Dark Lord. You never speak to the mudblood again, or else she dies. You become the best leader we have ever had and lead our side to victory. The whole point is, she will live."  
  
Draco thought about this for a second. If he was to become the Dark Lord, he would be forced to kill all muggle borns, including Hermione. He knew that that also meant he wouldn't necessarily be forced, but that he would do it willingly. Draco was well informed of the induction ceremony and he knew that after it, he would hate all mudbloods. That meant Hermione.  
  
"And if I do not agree to become your great leader? What then?"  
  
Pansy looked bored, as if this was not a possibility. "If you refuse the honor, then we will kill her. Draco, darling, don't do this to yourself. Just give in."  
  
"What makes you think that I wouldn't just tell Dumbledore?"  
  
"Because man." Blaise began. "We placed a spell on Hermione. So if you were to tell anyone about this, she would have died. You should be proud of us. We learned from you, Draco. Remember when you used to help us out with this stuff? What made you change?"  
  
Draco looked defeated and tired. It was obvious that he needed sleep. "She made me change. For better or for worse. I saw her and steadily began noticing the effects she had on me. She kept getting to me. I thought it was lust at first but then I realized that I was falling for the little witch. I tried to stop. I really didn't want to love her but I couldn't stop myself. Look at her, Blaise. She's an angel. She's so beautiful and stubborn. I love the way she looks when she's studying and the way her nose wrinkles when she's thinking really hard. I love how she always knows the answer to any question the teachers ask. She amazes me with her ability to take a bad situation and laugh at it. She's everything that I could ever want from a woman. She's independent and strong. I love her, and I will always love her no matter what. Even if you mix Salazar Slytherin and Voldemort's blood in with mine, I will love her until the day that I die. And when I die, I will find her in the after life. This you cannot change."  
  
Blaise stepped back for a second, contemplating all that Draco had said, then laughed. Pansy joined in. "Loving her will most definitely be the end of you, Malfoy." Pansy shrieked. "But I promise you that you will be our Dark Lord, regardless of your love, and you will be the most feared man in all the world and in the history of magic. You will do this, or she will die."  
  
Draco looked over to Hermione and noticed she was starting to wake up. He tried to jump up and run over to her but Blaise held him back. Instead, Pansy sauntered over to her. "Good morning, mudblood." She said with happiness in her voice. "Have a good nap?"  
  
"Parkinson, I'm tired and I'm hungry. Waking up to your ugly face is enough to make me want to scream. Just leave me alone and I promise when I get out of these chains, I won't torture you the same as you did me. Other wise, I make no promises."  
  
Draco laughed at her boldness and to his surprise, so did Blaise and Pansy. "She's been going on like this for a while now. Keeps asking for more, literally." Pansy said with a chuckle. "I'm more than willing to give it to her." She whips out the dagger once more and sticks it in Hermione's stomach, laughing merrily all the while.   
  
Hermione still did not let out a sound of pain. "Parkinson, you are weak." She still had not opened her eyes yet. (She believed that the first thing she saw when she woke up should not be the face of the most hideous person in the world -at least in her opinion.-)  
  
Draco pushed Blaise away and ran to Hermione. He lifted up her chin for him to look at her, but she kept her eyes clothes and spat in his face. "You stay away from me, you piece of filth. You are not worthy of touching me in such a manner. Compared to you, I am royalty. If I were you, Zambini, I would worship the ground that I walk on."  
  
Draco laughed once more, but this time he spoke so she would hear his voice. "Baby, I'm here. It's me. I've come to save you from that filth you spoke of."  
  
She opened her eyes and was ecstatic to find that it was in face Draco. "Draco? I wasn't sure that you were going to come. I want to tell you before anything else happens" she began rambling, "You don't have to be mad at me anymore. I told Harry and Ron. I told them that I loved you and that you loved me. I said that if they couldn't accept you in my life then I wasn't going to be friends with them anymore. But they said that they would still be my friends and that I didn't have to worry. And Draco, I'm just so happy. They've even agreed to spend time with you to get to know you better. Isn't that great, Draco?"  
  
Draco looked at her with tears in his eyes. "Yeah, babe. That's great. But the thing is, I've got to save you now and I only know one way. And that is to give in to their psychotic demands. I want you to live Hermione. I want you to live a happy and full life with your friends. I'll never forget you though."  
  
"Draco, what are you saying? I don't understand."  
  
"He's saying, mudblood, that he has agreed to be our Dark Lord so that you can live and have a life. Almost a shame, isn't it. I was so hoping that I'd be allowed to kill you." Pansy said with a frown on her face.  
  
Draco looked at Blaise and Pansy. "If I'm going to do this, I have my own little provisions to throw into the agreement. I want an oath, in blood. We'll do it the magical way, sealing it with the spell. The oath is that even when I am your Dark Lord, no one lays a hand on Hermione. She remains safe regardless of what may come."  
  
"What if she attacks us? We can't claim self defense?"  
  
"NO! You don't get to touch her, no matter what. Then, you will let me handle her." He turned to face Hermione and saw tears streaming down her face.  
  
"Draco, don't do this. Don't give in. You're better than that. Don't become their Dark Lord. It's in the prophecy that at the induction ceremony you will become the leader of the good instead but I don't trust it anymore. I just don't trust in fate any longer. Please, just let me die. I'm unimportant. You just worry about fighting AGAINST those freaks, not leading them."  
  
"I can't Hermione. They outnumber us. Look around." Just then, fifty Death Eaters walked into the dungeons, armed with wands. "I have no choice. I will make sure, with every ounce of power that I have, that you will live and have a great life and be safe." He unchained her from the wall and she practically fell into his arms. "Death Eaters," he addressed them. "I am your new leader. My induction ceremony will be on the eve of Christmas. For the time being, you will allow me to spend as much time with her as I wish. Do not address me in the halls or in class. I get this time to myself. The penalties for disobeying my rules are greater than you can imagine."   
  
Blaise said a spell and Draco was bound to his word. If he refused the position of the Dark Lord now, Hermione would automatically be killed.  
  
Draco picked her up in his arms, cradling her as if she was precious to him. He carried her out of the room, ignoring all of the stares they were getting.  
  
In the corner of the room, Pansy and Blaise were smiling. Their plan had worked out just as they had expected it to. All they had to do now was to wait for Draco to rise to power and forget all about his mudblood love.  
  
A/N ... okay, so how did you like it? if you didn't, it's okay. My sister helped me write this one, so it's got some of her ideas in it too. Review please. I would really appreciate it.  
  
Thanks to all of you guys that have reviewed, it really means a lot to me. I get so excited to check my mail. You guys rock.  
  
All righty, now I'm going away on spring break so I won't update for over a week. Just be patient with me. I'll update as soon as I get back.  
  
REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! 


	8. Nightmares

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K.Rowling does. This we know already.  
  
Chapter 8: Nightmares  
  
As soon as Draco was away from all of the Death Eaters, he ran Hermione up to his room. He knew all of the correct healing spells since Hermione had taught them to him while they were in St. Mungo's one day and had nothing better to do. He healed her as best as he could of all her bruises.   
  
She didn't say a word until he was done. Then, she asked, "What does this mean for us now?"  
  
He sighed heavily. "It means that come Christmas day, we are officially over. Even if we tried to keep it up in secret, you wouldn't want me after the ceremony. I'll be just like Voldemort and Salazar Slytherin. Muggle born wizards and witches will be my enemies and the worst part is, I'll go along with it. I won't be able to stop myself from having the evil inside take over my mind and body."  
  
She cried the tears that she had been holding back since she had been kidnapped. "I... I don't know how I can let you go. I just found you. It's not fair. You can't make me give you up now that we are finally together. Surely there's another way. I can't lose you."  
  
She laid down on the couch and hugged a pillow close to her stomach. They had one week left before Christmas. He crawled down on the couch next to her and held her close. "It's okay. Let it all out. Let it all out." She cried for hours until she finally fell asleep.  
  
When Hermione woke up, she was in his arms, as always. She sighed, knowing that he wasn't always going to be there for her anymore. She lightly kissed his forehead and stood up, careful not to wake him up.  
  
What she didn't know was that he was already awake, savoring every moment he spent with her. When he was sure she was gone and wouldn't see him, he got up and dressed for his first day back.  
  
He was just getting his robe on when he heard a knock on the door. "Coming!" he said. He opened the door and there she was, dressed and ready to go.  
  
"How are we going to do this?" She asked with anger.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Are we just going to ignore them and be together even though in a week you're going to leave me? Are we going to split up now, or wait for the inevitable to happen?" She allowed a tear to stream down her face but he wiped it away with his thumb. She rested her cheek on the palm of his hand, feeling oddly comforted by his kind gesture.  
  
"It's up to you, love. I can't make the decision for you but I can tell you how I feel." He took his hand from her cheek and immediately took her hand in it, giving it a loving squeeze. "I want to cherish any time I can get with you. I love you and I can't stand knowing I won't be there to make you happy for the rest of you life. But I also know that if we don't spend as much time as we can together, I'll regret it for all eternity."  
  
He pulled her into an embrace and to his shock, she let him. In a whisper, she spoke to him. "Eternity is far too long. I don't know that I could take it. Will you stay with me this week?" She looked up at him, her arms still tightly wrapped around him.  
  
"Do you even have to ask?" he replied with a warm smile. She pulled him into a passionate kiss and he held on to her knowing he could never let her go. When she pulled away, they were both out of breath.  
  
"We have classes toady. Potions is first and we have it together. Do you want to walk with me there?" she asked.  
  
"Sure. Let me carry your books for you." he picked up her books from the common room and tucked them under his left arm, along with his. Then, they walked to class hand in hand. They were two minutes late to class but since it was their first day back, Snape didn't care.  
  
"Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, glad to see you to again. Lab partners were chosen in the start of the term. That only leaves you two to be together but I doubt either of you will mind it that much. Take your seats in the back and pay close attention."  
  
Draco and Hermione sat down and began taking notes. They played footsie with each other the entire period but made sure to pay attentions to Snape's lesson, because he was shooting them knowing glances.  
  
Hermione enjoyed class and relished in the fact that she was still far ahead of every student with the exception of Draco (who she had studied with daily in St. Mungo's).  
  
At lunch, Hermione and Draco took a seat at the end of the Gryffindor table, far away from other students but close enough so she felt comfortable. They completely ignored the food because Hermione was so excited after the classes that morning, she couldn't stop talking about it. Draco was just silent, content in listening to her speak.  
  
After lunch, Hermione was so tired from going through an actual schedule and having real things to do. They decided to go back upstairs to their room, ignoring the stares they were receiving. Once there, they just laid in each others arms, eyes clothes, no words being spoken, but still awake and aware of the others presence. They had the rest of the day off because they were only starting with a half day.  
  
Draco began to sing to her the only song that seemed appropriate.  
  
Watch you smile while you are sleeping,  
  
While you are far away and dreaming,  
  
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender,  
  
I could stay lost in this moment forever,  
  
Where a moment spent with you is a moment I treasure,  
  
I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep,  
  
Cause I miss you baby, And I don't want to miss a thing,  
  
Cause even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream will never do,  
  
I still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing  
  
Lying close to you feeling your heart beating,  
  
And I wondering what you are dreaming,  
  
Wondering if it's me you are seeing,  
  
Then I kiss your eyes and thank god we're together,  
  
I just want to stay with you in this moment forever and forever forever  
  
I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep,  
  
Cause I miss you baby, And I don't want to miss a thing,  
  
Cause even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream will never do,  
  
I still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing  
  
And I don't want to miss one smile,  
  
I don't want to miss one kiss,  
  
I just want to be with you right here with you,  
  
Just like this, I just want to hold you close,  
  
I feel your heart so close to mine  
  
And just stay here in this moment,  
  
For all of the rest of time  
  
I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep,  
  
Cause I miss you baby, And I don't want to miss a thing,  
  
Cause even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream will never do,  
  
I still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing  
  
(A/N... Aerosmith, I Don't Want to Miss A Thing)  
  
Hermione listened to his voice. It was quiet and gentle. He had a soothing effect on her. It was something she would store away in her memory forever.  
  
When he was finished singing, he noticed tears upon her face. He lifted his hand to wipe them off but she swatted him away. "No." she whispered. "Let me be sad. Let me feel whatever I feel. I know what you want to say. You want to tell me that everything will be all right, that I will be al right... but even if that is the case, I get to mourn my loss now. Because at the moment I'm a little emotional. If you have a problem with that, well then that's just too bad!"  
  
He sighed, knowing better than to argue about things like this with Hermione. "I have no problem letting you do whatever you want to do. Just promise me that when I leave you, you'll try to move on. Mourn for me now, while I am here to comfort you. But when I am gone, forget me."  
  
"I don't know that I could do that. I could never forget you, Draco. I love you far too much. These have been the most amazing months of my life. How could I forget that?"  
  
He looked at her with tears in his eyes, knowing what he would have to do. "There's one way I know that will help you move on."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
He closed his eyes, regretting not being able to find some other way. "Do you remember how Lockhart got to be famous? He erased others memories and made them believe something that never happened. I know the charm that can erase you memory, Hermione. If you want me to, I will use it right before I leave you."  
  
"Then what will I remember of these past months?"  
  
"I will plant false memories... happy memories."  
  
She stood up and walked to the window. "I just don't know. I'm not sure I ever want to forget you. Besides, everyone already knows we're together after today. How would that work?"  
  
"I've used the charm before. I'm quite skilled with it. I can make it large enough to change the entire schools memories. That's only if you'd like me to. You have the week to decide. Take your time." He walked to her side and wrapped his arms around her. "How are you feeling. I mean, how are your legs working? Are you able to walk just fine now?"  
  
She smiled. "They're better when you're around." She said simply.  
  
"Let's get some sleep. It's late in the afternoon and I think we could use a nap before we go to supper. What do you think? Nap time?"  
  
She allowed a yawn to escape. "Okay. I guess I'm more tired than I thought I would be after only a half day of lessons."  
  
He picked her up and placed her back down on the bed under the covers. "Sleep baby. Just go to sleep."  
  
She refused to close her eyes.  
  
"I promise I will still be here when you get up. Now sleep." He eye lids shut, being comforted by Draco's words. "I'll still be here when you awake." He kissed her forehead and they both drifted off into a dreamlands full of nightmares.   
  
***Hermione's Nightmare***  
  
She walked through an empty corridor, not sure where she was going. She was following a shadow that was about fifty steps in front of her. It rounded the corner and for a moment, Hermione lost sight of it. She quickened her pace to catch up. When she finally reached the turn, she saw more than just a shadow. There were three men dressed in all black hovering over a whispering figure.  
  
"My Lord, we caught her spying on the meeting this afternoon." One hissed to the man in the middle. "We brought her straight to here, as you requested. What do you intend to do with her?"  
  
The man looked thoughtful for a moment before he responded. "Leave us. I will make sure she can't ever tell anyone whatever she overheard." The men scampered off quickly.   
  
Hermione tried to get a better look at the girl on the floor but the face was still hidden. All she could tell was that the girl had obviously been beaten. Her robes were torn and her hair was wild.  
  
"Why couldn't you just stay out of it? Why? I told you, I warned you." The man said through clenched teeth. "I told you to stay out of the Order and away from Death Eaters but NO... you just had to follow that stupid Harry Potter wherever he went, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?"  
  
The girl let out a muffled cry but said nothing. She attempted to stand up but apparently found it too difficult. She settled on sitting up and leaning against the wall. Finally Hermione caught a glimpse of her face. It was... Hermione.  
  
Dream Hermione spoke. "You told me last time we met that there was something I didn't know, some memories that were missing and that YOU were the one that took them away. I want them back."  
  
"You don't get them back, Granger. I am the only one who possesses those memories and they are mine to keep. I told you to stay away or else. No I must show you the consequences of your actions." The man produced his wand from the inside pocket of his Slytherin robes.  
  
"WAIT!" she screamed. "Before you kill me, let me remember. If you are to take away my life then at least give me back what you stole from me before you do. You owe me that much." She said with fear and sadness evident in her voice.  
  
"I owe you nothing." He spat coldly. "But I will give them to you anyway, you piece of filth, but keep in mind, once you get them back, you will be killed."  
  
"FINE!"  
  
The real Hermione tried to get a look at the mans face but it was no use. His back was turned towards her. He raised his arm and pointed his wand at her, muttering some spell under his breath.  
  
The beaten Hermione gasped and tears streamed down her cheeks. It appeared that the memories were all the encouragement she needed. She stood up and produced her own wand from her pocket. "HOW COULD YOU!" she shouted through her tears. "How dare you! I told you that I wanted to remember and you went ahead and erased my memories anyway. Who gave you that right?" She slapped him and saw him grow annoyed.   
  
"Mudblood, you'll do well to hold your tongue. I'm not that man that you fell in love with anymore. I won't take you hollering at me like..."  
  
"Cut the crap, Malfoy. You're still him somewhere deep down. You're just hidden underneath the cloak of Voldemort and Salazar. I know you're there deep down!"  
  
"Your Draco is gone. I am the Dark Lord. I am a muggle hating wizard feared by all who cross my path or even hear my name."  
  
"YOU'RE WRONG! I am not afraid of you. Harry and Ron aren't afraid of you. Oh... and Dumbledore is certainly not afraid of you."  
  
He laughed. "Potter and Weasley? Not afraid of me? Are you joking? You have such high standards set for them. You're just blinded by your friendship with them to see that they are weak cowards. You really do believe that they are fearless, don't you? Well, forgive me for laughing but I can't control it. It's just so funny."  
  
"Laugh all you want but it's true."  
  
"No. It's not. Well, maybe Dumbledore isn't afraid of me. And YOU and definitely not afraid of me... but honestly, Weasley's so afraid that he pisses in his pants at the mere sound of my voice. And Potter, well he's afraid that because he could barely defeat Voldemort, how can he defeat me? I'll answer that for you. He can't! I will fight him and he will lose!"  
  
"Whatever you choose to believe Malfoy. Just let me go without a fuss and maybe I'll let you live to find out if you really could defeat Harry." She said sounding almost bored.  
  
"No. I won't do that."  
  
She looked into his face and saw that he was facing a battle inside. The real Draco was trying to get to the surface. She decided that this was her chance. She placed a loving hand on his cheek. "I forgive you." she whispered, and then she back away to watch him fall to the floor... lifelessly.  
  
***End of Nightmare***  
  
Hermione sat up in bed in a cold sweat, breathing very heavily and screaming. Tears streamed down her face. She found it particularly odd that Draco did the same thing.  
  
***Draco's Nightmare***  
  
He was in the Slytherin Common Room, watching a meeting. From what he could tell, it was a Death Eaters meeting. The Dark Lord, which he assumed to be himself, was in the center, listening to someone speak.   
  
"My Lord, we have captured the girl."  
  
"Very good. Where is she?" he replied.  
  
"Right here." The man replied. He was dragging a girl by her hair towards the Dark Lord. "She was rather difficult to capture. She managed to stupefy both Crabbe and Bulstrode before we knocked her out."  
  
The real Draco tried to get a look at her face and when he did, he was saddened. It was Hermione.  
  
The man dragging her continued to speak. "She was alone as usual. And she was crying... again. Don't know what you see in her, really. Quite depressing this one is."  
  
"CRUCIO!" The Dark Lord yelled at the man. He doubled over in pain, screaming. "Never again question my judgment. Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes." The man whispered, standing back on his feet once more. "My apologies, My Lord. Forgive me, please. I was wrong to comment on things where it is not my place."  
  
"Yes, you were wrong. Now everyone leave me now, alone with the mudblood." The death Eaters looked skeptical about leaving but one glare at their Lord's face and they knew he wanted them gone so they scurried off. When they were all gone, the girl quickly stood to her feet and ran to his side. "Oh Draco, I've missed you so much. I seems like forever since we were together. After that Christmas, I thought I'd never see you again but now... you missed me too, didn't you? Why else would you ask them to bring me to you?"  
  
"Hermione, I missed you too. I've needed you so much. You have no idea the hell that I have been through, the hell that I have put others through. It's not as though I wanted to do it, but I couldn't stop myself no matter how hard I tried. They've taken over me. The other day, I was finally able to gain some control of my body once again so I took advantage of the opportunity and commanded the Death Eaters to bring you to me."  
  
"I'm glad you did."  
  
"We don't have much time. I don't have enough to control, only enough to last about twenty minutes at a time, but I couldn't leave it like that. It's been killing me. I wished I had said goodbye. So now, I am saying goodbye. At least this time we have a proper ending."  
  
"I've been so miserable since you left me. Sometimes, I wish I had let you erase my memory and then, I think of everything we shared and I regret it ever more. I love you so much and the pain eats away at me every day more and more." She lifted her right arm and rolled up her shirt sleeve. It revealed may cuts which were in the process of healing. "It takes way the pain temporarily." Draco could tell as soon as he saw them that they were all self inflicted wounds.  
  
"Hermione I..." he wanted to heal her and make her feel better. He wanted to tell her that she would be all right, but he couldn't. It was then that the evil in him took over once more. "You're nothing to me but a filthy mudblood. Maybe next time you take a knife to your wrists, you'll do it properly and rid us of your existence. But there won't be a next time. You won't even live to see another day.  
  
AVADA KEDAVRA!"  
  
She fell to the floor lifelessly.  
  
***END OF NIGHTMARE***  
  
he sat up in bed, sweat dripping down his body, screaming in terror. He looked next to him and noticed Hermione had done the same thing, only she had begun to cry. He took her in his arms , assuming she had just experienced the same nightmare. "Shhh..." he whispered. "Come on. It's all right. I won't let that ever happen. Don't worry. I love you too much to let that happen. Don't worry, my love."  
  
She rested her head on his chest and they laid back down together neither one falling asleep. They were both scared of having any more bad dreams. They never discussed what they had dreamt about that night for the memories made them both sick.  
  
A/N... Thanks soo much to all of my reviewers. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. As I said in my last chapter, I was on spring break in Miami. Just so you know, I have chapter nine written and chapter 10 already started. I just have to type them up. The more reviews that I get, the quicker I type so go review.  
  
Oh yeah, and in your reviews, tell me how you think it should end. I already have the end planned out but if I get a good suggestion, I might change it.  
  
The song was I Don't Want to Miss a Thing, by Aerosmith. It's one of my favorite songs. I though it was perfect for that moment. They're just laying there, listening to each other breathe. I love it.  
  
Okay... So now you know what to do. GO REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	9. Lost

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K.Rowling does. So sad, so sad.  
  
Chapter 9: Lost  
  
December 24th.   
  
The day before Christmas had arrived and it was already noon. Hermione had yet to come out of her room and Draco was more than a little upset. Why wouldn't she want to spend their last day together. HE wanted to, so why wouldn't she?  
  
He decided to go and check on her. He ran up to her room and was about to knock on the door but was topped by the lack of sounds he heard coming from her room. It was silent. He opened the door and looked around. Nothing, no one there. He though of all the possible places she cuold be and concluded the library was his best guess.  
  
Draco hurried off down the empty corridors. They were empty because almost all of the students had gone home for the holidays with the exception of a few students, the teachers, Hermione, and Draco of course. He entered the library and went to the table that Hermione called her own. He found her asleep on a pile of books.  
  
"Hermione," he whispered into her ear. "Mione, wake up." He lightly brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face. She moved under his touch, obviously startled.  
  
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, Draco. I must've fallen asleep while doing my homework last night. I wanted to be able to spend time with you without any distractions such as homework hanging over my head. I'm sorry." She looked worried.   
  
Hermione frowned. She knew she would have no more time with Draco after this day and wanted to make it perfect. "I had the day all planned out. This morning, you were going to wake up to breakfast in bed. Then, we would get up and take a walk around the school. I assume it's too late to go back in the schedule but I have more for the afternoon planned."  
  
"Slow down, Hermione," he said with a laugh. "I wanted to plan to day instead. Come with me. I have something to show you." He took her hand in his and they walked out of the library. He led her outside the building and to the Quidditch Pitch. When they got there a blanket was already spread out with a picnic basket on top of it. "The Pitch is the most calming place for me. I come here all the time when I want to be alone but now... I don't want to be alone. I want to be with you. I thought a picnic lunch was a good idea. What do you think?"  
  
Hermione looked shocked. "It's perfect." Then, she frowned. "Why didn't I think of it?" He laughed, ignoring her pouting, and led her to their spot in the center of the pitch.   
  
"Let's just take a seat, eat some strawberries and have some tea. I just want a nice relaxing day. Sound good to you?"  
  
"Sounds like heaven." She laid down on the grass and began unpacking all of the things that Draco had put in the basket but he stopped her from doing any more work.  
  
"No. Today is RELAXING. You don't have to lift a finger." He clapped his hands together and two house elves arrived. "This is Bibby and Nash. They are from the Malfoy Manor. I borrowed them for the day." The house elves began to serve and Hermione found herself enjoying just being able to sit down and be with the man that she loved.  
  
After a while had passed, Hermione decided that it was as good of time as any to bring something up. "Aren't you going to ask me my decision?"  
  
He looked puzzled. "Decision? What is it that you had to decide on?"  
  
"My memories."  
  
His face fell. He had been hoping they wouldn't discuss it further but now he had to face it. "Oh. Yes. Well... what's you're decision then?"  
  
"I've decided to keep all of my memories. But I need you to do something for me. It's a really big favor I suppose, and I need you to do it without hesitation."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Promise me that you will not tamper with my memories, no matter what. I want to keep them. Promise me you'll obey by my wishes. Can you do that for me?"  
  
He paused for a while before he came up with his response. "Such depressing matters to discuss. Let us discuss them at another time. Right now, can't we just lay here with the sum on our faces wrapped in one another's arms? We can listen to the birds sing and the wind breeze by. Doesn't that sound nicer than discussing what it was we were discussing?"  
  
"I guess," she said while resting her head on his shoulder and forgetting all previous thoughts. To her, the only thing in the world that mattered at that moment was him. She knew it would be a long road, getting over him. Most likely, it was impossible but she had to try.  
  
They fell into a deep silence. Draco listened to Hermione's heavy breathing until it slowed a little. She had fallen asleep. He took this opportunity to leave her side and ordered Bibby and Nash to look after her while she slept. When she awoke, they were to giver her a note and leave her alone.  
  
Hermione's eyes drifted open and the first thing she noticed was that it was night. Next, she realized Draco was gone and her heart fell. She looked around and saw the house elves. "Where did Draco go?" she asked the elves.  
  
"Master has left," Bibby replied. "He went home for Christmas morning. He asked us to give you this." He handed her a cream colored envelope and disappeared. Nash followed his lead. She ripped open the seal and read the note.  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
I must go now. I cannot bear to say goodbye. Your tears would be the end   
  
of me. Please do not despair. I want you to move on. Live in peace and happiness. I   
  
do not wish for you to fall into sadness.  
  
I want you to know something, Hermione. I want you to know that I love   
  
you. And ever had I known it would end this way, I would do it all again in a heart  
  
beat. You were the best thing that ever happened to me.  
  
Now I must go to live out my destiny. I could not stand the thought of you   
  
crying over me so forgive me for what I must do. I cannot obey your wish to leave your memories to you. When you are through reading this letter your memory will be changed. You will remember the past months as a happy time in your life - without me. I've also changed the schools memory. They will not remember us together. Do   
  
not be angry with me. I am doing this for you. Everything I do is for you.  
  
You are the love of my life. For as long as I live I will remember the warmth   
  
of your touch and the joy you brought to me each day.  
  
All my love,  
  
D. Malfoy  
  
Tears streamed down Hermione's face as the letter disappeared in her hands. Suddenly, she went blank. What just happened? She couldn't remember. Why was she on the Quidditch Pitch? She shrugged it off and went to the Gryffindor Common Room, assuming she had just been for a walk around the school.  
  
Harry and Ron were sitting on the couch waiting expectantly for her. "Hello Hermione," Harry said. "We were just talking about you. Where have you been?"  
  
"I took a walk around the school. The Quidditch Pitch was empty so I sat down for a while. I haven't had any time of my own for a long time. I enjoyed it immensely." She replied.  
  
"Okay... sounds relaxing." Ron said. After a while of talking and just joking around, Ron complained. "I'm bored. What should we do?"  
  
"Did you two finish your homework?" Hermione asked.  
  
Ron rolled his eyes. "Yes mother." He replied with sarcasm. "Honestly! Do you ever think of anything other than school? Why can't you be like every other girl here at Hogwarts and just talk about makeup and boys all the time rather than all the assignments you have?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Ron." she replied with equal sarcasm. "Forgive me for having a real brain. MERLIN, RON! Do you really want me to turn into a superficial brat, constantly gossiping over boys and who's snogging who and all that other garbage that teenage girls worry about? I would've expected more from you, Ronald."  
  
Ron gulped because he realized he had struck a nerve. That's the only time she ever uses his full name. "I'm sorry, Mione. I didn't mean to upset you. You're my best friend. I wouldn't want to change anything about you. It's just that... well sometimes you're a little overbearing when it comes to classes and schoolwork."  
  
"I just want you to do the best you could do." She admitted. "I want you both to do well so when we leave Hogwarts, you can do something with your life."  
  
"What do YOU want to do when we leave?" Harry asked her.  
  
"I was thinking of becoming an auror. I think all three of us should. We're all great at Defense Against The Dark Arts and we were able to fight against Voldemort again and again. I think it would be our ideal job. How 'bout you?"  
  
"I think that sounds ideal as well. Actually, I've been thinking along the same lines for a while now. The greatest part is that we could all work together. What do you think, Ron?"  
  
"Quite the same. An Auror, fighting the dark side. Maybe we could even get a chance to kill Malfoy. How great would that be?"  
  
Hermione frowned. "You don't know that he's a Death Eater or working for the dark side. We don't know anything for certain, Ron. Don't go accusing him without proper evidence. Innocent until proven guilty."  
  
"Since when did you stick up for Malfoy?"  
  
"Since I don't believe he's as evil as you say he is!"  
  
"That's ridiculous! Malfoy IS evil. I heard he was going to get the Dark Mark tomorrow, on Christmas. Now do you believe he is evil?"  
  
Hermione stayed silent. She didn't like Malfoy, so why was she defending him? "It's late. I'm going to go to sleep. See you in the morning." She ran out of the Gryffindor tower and straight to the Head Boy and Girl Common Room. She entered and ran up to her room, not ever bothering to change into pajamas. She fell fast asleep.  
  
Draco entered Malfoy Manor wearily. His mother greeted him with a false hug and smile. "Draco, my son. How good it is to have you home."  
  
He rolled his eyes at his mothers false love. She had never loved him. She was just like his father, cold and detached. She was a follower of the Dark Lord and was glad that Draco would be taking over. THAT was the only reason she was pretending to care.  
  
"I'm going to sleep mother. I have had a tiring day and need my rest for tomorrow. Do not bother me unless the world is ending. Understood?"  
  
She nodded and he just walked off, leaving his bags to the House Elves to take care of. He got to his room and plopped down on his bed. His dreams were filled with a certain beautiful brown haired Gryffindor... his angel.  
  
December 25th.   
  
Christmas day 9:55 p.m.  
  
The ceremony was set for ten o'clock. Draco walked down the stairs that led to the Dungeons. He wasn't scared or even nervous. He wasn't excited or anxious. He was calm yet extremely angry. He felt like punching a hole in the wall.  
  
When he reached the end of the stairs, there was an assembly of Death Eaters waiting for his arrival. Blaise and Pansy were standing next to a cauldron where a potion was brewing.   
  
Pansy approached him with a wicked smile on her face. "My Lord," she said as she bowed in front of him. "Everyone is here to witness this momentous occasion. Are you ready?"  
  
Draco waved his hand to dismiss her from his side. "Let us get this over and done with. I have better ways to spend my time."  
  
"As you wish," Blaise replied. "Please kneel before the cauldron and we will begin the ceremony."  
  
Draco took his place kneeling on a gorgeous velvet pillow. He sighed out of impatience.   
  
"It is a potion brewed for you, My Lord." Blaise said. He took out a vile of red liquid from his pocket. "This is the blood of Salazar Slytherin." He then added it to the potion while Pansy mixed it in. Once it was fully mixed, he took out another vile. "And here is the blood of Lord Voldemort." This too was mixed in.  
  
The potion turned a dark green color. Pansy poured some into a glass. "Drink this and become our Dark Lord."  
  
Draco snatched it out of her hand and brought it to his lips. 'This is for you, Hermione,' he thought to himself as he poured the warm liquid into his mouth.  
  
Once he had finished the cup, the Death Eaters began changing a spell Draco had never heard before. It was in Latin. It translated:  
  
"The new Dark Lord is born. To him we are bound."  
  
When they were through chanting, Blaise, who had become the new right hand man of the Dark Lord, turned to Draco. "Repeat after me. I am the Dark Lord. I vow to rid the world of muggles and mudbloods everywhere. To this I am bound."  
  
"I am the Dark Lord. I vow to rid the world of muggles and mudbloods everywhere. To this I am bound." Draco said in a monotone.  
  
He felt power surge through him. Hatred and Darkness streamed through his veins. His eyes turned red though only for a second. He knew at that point there was no way to turn back. This was his destiny, his curse.  
  
Hermione was forever lost to him.  
  
A/N Okay... so thanks to all of you who reviewed. Even you, Priah, even though you don't like my story. Yes, I am aware of the probability of this turning into a "common humdrum Draco the Deatheater with no heart sort of deal." But you see, I really like those stories and I really wanted to try my luck at it so if you don't like the story, well then I guess you shouldn't read it. I'm not trying to be mean I'm just saying. Oh, and thank you for correcting my mistake with the song. My apologies to everyone. Aerosmith did not WRITE I Don't Want to Miss a Thing, they just covered it.   
  
Thanks everyone else. By the way, for those who asked, Miami was awesome (except for the part where I got extremely sunburned and can hardly move without causing myself further injury) but other than that, I Loved it!  
  
Okay, so if you want to know where this is going, I'll give you a little tip. I really hate sad endings. I only like happy endings. So that should help you out.  
  
It will be a while before I update again. I'm having trouble writing up my vision. But I hope you liked this chapter. You know the drill REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW and the quicker you do, the faster these fingers move and the faster your chapter come out. So do it already. Click the button. Tell me what you think. The fate of this story lays in your hands. 


	10. Confused

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter 10: Confusion  
  
After Christmas Break, everyone resumed classes. Draco tried his hardest to avoid Hermione. The very thought of her made him sad even though on the surface, all you could see was hate and contempt.   
  
One day, they had an assignment to do as Head Boy and Girl. Dumbledore had asked them to write one joint speech for graduation. He thought it should be about inter-house relations and the importance of house unity.  
  
Draco had offered to Hermione that if she chose to, she could write the whole speech by herself and he would read whatever it was she wanted him to but she said that he had to do at least half of the work. When he offered to do ALL of the work, she said there was no way she would let him take all the credit for it. So, he was stuck. He would have to work with her. And when he was near her, he would be mean and cruel, even though it was just Voldemort and Slytherin now that they had taken over.  
  
They worked in the common room that they shared. Hermione was writing her parts and he was writing his. "I was thinking we should add that we managed not to kill each other while sharing a room in St. Mungo's and sharing living quarters here as well. I thought the students might find that surprising and it might encourage them to follow in our footsteps." Hermione suggested.   
  
"The only reason we didn't kill each other in St. Mungo's, Granger, was because I was in a coma and not able to move and you were paralyzed and couldn't get out of bed let alone reach for your God forsaken wand."  
  
"I know that, and you know that, but they don't have to know that."  
  
"They all know that I was in a coma!"  
  
"I guarantee you that they have forgotten that by now! It's not like you being in a coma was the biggest news that happened all year."  
  
"Whatever you want to say, mud blood. I was thinking that in the speech, we should add that Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherins were at one point best friends and the only thing that separated them was their views on the students."  
  
"That's good, but leave out the part about the views of the students. Many of the students in school might be uncomfortable. You know, the selectiveness of Slytherin's is just something that people have chosen to not talk about. I mean, we all know it exists. Of course it does. Hate and prejudice exist in every culture but it's not something people like to have thrown in their face."  
  
"But that's just silly. YOU LOVE when I call you a mud blood."  
  
"Ugh... Malfoy can you just try to be mature for like... ONE second? Please?"  
  
"Fine!" They continued writing, neither one speaking, but he hated the sound of silence so he decided the break it. "I saw that Oliver Wood was visiting today. Why is he here?"  
  
"He came to check up on the Quidditch team. He likes to do that from time to time. Plus, he's a really good friend of ours and we like when he comes to spend time with us."  
  
"Yes, a good friend... sure he is. I saw you kiss him today. What was that?"  
  
"Well I don't see how it's any of your business but if you must know, he asked me out last night and I said yes."  
  
Draco, without even realizing it, had begun to scowl. His fists were clenched. Inside, his mind was racing. 'She's mine! How dare she go out with someone else! How dare she betray me like that!' He took three deep breaths and regained his composure while trying to remember Hermione and he were not together any longer. "Interesting. I didn't know anyone in their right mind would fall for a mud blood like you but I guess I was mistaken."  
  
"Apparently," she said with a look of satisfaction on her face. She had seen him scowl and his hands ball up into fists but the only explanation for that would be jealousy which was not logical. This was Malfoy. He hated her.  
  
"So tell me, mudblood, how is it that a little bitch like you has gotten so far in her studies? How is it that you are Head Girl even though you missed half of the yeah?"  
  
"I won't tolerate that language, Malfoy. And as for how it is that I became Head Girl and top of the class, it's simple. I study, I do the work, and I earn my grades."  
  
"Or you suck up. I'm guessing that's it. You suck up to the teachers, kiss ass. That's what you are. You're a little teacher's pet."  
  
"I will not sit here and listen to you accuse me of not earning my grades! I'm here because I deserve to be unlike you whose father bought him everything he ever needed in life!"  
  
He took a menacing step towards her and grabbed her shoulders roughly. "My father gave me nothing. That man didn't care about me OR my mother, so don't talk about things you have no comprehension of. I will not accept it."  
  
"Then don't accuse ME of things that aren't true! Merlin, Malfoy, can't you just try to get along with me?"  
  
"Guess not. Better have Potty and the Weasel come up here and straighten me out. Hell, Wood can join in, too. All three of your boyfriends against me. The funny thing is, I could still win."  
  
"You wish, Malfoy. You wish." She returned to her work, ignoring all of his other rude comments.  
  
After a while, he handed her a piece of parchment and said, "There's what I have. Incorporate what I wrote with whatever you get and I'm sure it'll be one great speech. Highlight what I will be reading and make an extra copy for me. I'm going to bed. Night..." he sounded like he was trying to be somewhat pleasant and she smiled but a frown crossed her face the moment he muttered, "mud blood."  
  
He disappeared into his room and she was left combining both parts. She didn't mind, though. She would have done it all herself but it was the principal of it all. She couldn't let him get away with doing none of the work.   
  
She finished all her work and left the Head Tower. She went walking and found herself in one of the Guest Wings that were in Hogwarts. She only knew of them because that was where Oliver was staying. She went to a portrait of a Quidditch Player flying around the Quidditch Pitch and said "Chudley Cannons." That was the password because it was Oliver's favorite team. She walked in and found Oliver reading on the couch.   
  
"Hello, Oliver."  
  
"Oh Hello Hermione. I thought that you were working on the speech with Malfoy tonight. I didn't expect a visit from you."  
  
She sat down next to him and smiled. "We finished earlier than I had expected and I wanted to come and say hello to you. It was so stressful spending time with that prat and I just wanted someone to make me smile before I went to sleep. Imagine that man being the last person you speak to before you fall asleep."  
  
"It sounds awful. I couldn't even imagine. But try not to think of him right now. Just think about the fact that I am here, and you are here, and no one else is here..." he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.   
  
"OLIVER! Honestly! Get your head out of the gutter! I'm not going to sleep with you. We've only been going out for a day now."  
  
He laughed and looked at her now very flushed face. "I was merely saying that we were alone. It was YOU who had her mind in the gutter," he said sarcastically.  
  
"If you say so," she replied with a smile. She pressed her lips gently over his and they shared a warm kiss. She couldn't help but feeling, as they deepened the kiss, that something was missing, like he wasn't the man that she should be kissing but she had no idea where this feeling came from. She felt incomplete and almost as if she was being unfaithful to someone. She knew that was crazy because she wasn't dating anyone else but she couldn't shake the feeling.  
  
"I'm going to go back to my room now and go to sleep," she said when she broke the kiss. "I only wanted to say goodnight. I'll see you in the morning for breakfast, right?"  
  
"Of course. I'll be there." He kissed her cheek and watched her disappear out the portrait hole. She rushed to her room and slammed the door shut behind her. She leaned against it and slid down to the floor, resting her head in her hands and sobbing uncontrollably. She found it strange that the only person she wanted to see right now was Malfoy. She entered the bathroom that joined their rooms together and opened the door that led to his room. She only creaked it open a little and through the crack, she could see Draco sleeping on his bed.   
  
She turned around again and went back to her room, figuring that something must have been wrong with her if she was about to go and spill all of her thoughts and problems to Malfoy. In her mind, she blamed it on sleep deprivation. She fell asleep but all of her dreams were filled with horrors that kept her tossing and turning. When she woke up, it was only three a.m. She went down to the common room and took a seat on the couch in front of the fire.   
  
She sat there for about an hour until she was disturbed. "Granger, what are you doing up so damn early? It's nearly four in the morning!"  
  
"I could say the same thing to you!" she shot back. It was late and she wasn't nearly awake enough to be arguing with him.  
  
"I happen to wake up this early every morning. I go for a jog around the school and then I shower off before you even wake up. I like to have time to myself right before I go to class so I wake up early to do everything else I need to do. Now it's your turn."  
  
"I couldn't sleep."  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
"I had a nightmare," she confessed. She stared into the fire, never looking him in the face. She didn't want to tell him exactly what she had felt that night with Oliver and she especially didn't want to tell him that HE was the one she thought about running to for comfort.  
  
"A nightmare about what?"  
  
"I can't really remember. When I woke up, everything erased from my memory. It's odd and torturing but I know that it was a horrible scare and I usually pride myself on never being scared so when I say this was a horrible scare, I mean it. I woke up with sweat pouring down my face and I was clutching onto the bed for dear life. I've never been so shaken up in all my life."  
  
He looked concerned for a moment but quickly recovered. Rule number 1: never let anyone know your true emotions. "As much as I love to waist my time pretending that I care, I have a schedule to keep. See you later, Granger." He began to walk away but she had stood up and walked over to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him from leaving.  
  
"Why do I feel a connection to you?"  
  
"Get your filthy hands off of me mudblood, or you WILL lose them!" he snarled. She backed away even though she wasn't really afraid.   
  
"Why? Why is it that when I was sad, I wanted to run to you? Why is it that when I woke up, terrified of whatever it was that I dreamt of, why did I feel like you could help me? What's wrong with me, Malfoy? I've never been so confused and I don't like this feeling." She let a tear stroll lazily down her cheek and he lifted his hand and wiped it away with his thumb.  
  
"Cry all you want. You have that right. Besides, you look good even with tears on your face. I can't answer your questions the way you would like me to. The only thing I can say is that you will be all right soon enough. The emptiness inside of you will fade and someday a man will come and you will fall deeply in love with him. He will complete you."  
  
"I never said I was incomplete or empty," she said suspiciously. "How did you know that? Do I have the words 'Lonely' and 'Depressed' written across my forehead? How would you know all of that unless you knew something that I didn't?"  
  
"I have to go," he said dismissively. He left before she could choke out another word. He left the castle and began to jog around the lake. His thoughts were going wild. 'How stupid could I be? I tried to comfort her! That was the most idiotic thing I have ever done! I can't believe it! I might as well have confessed everything to her.'  
  
Hermione sat alone in her room and cried. She wasn't sure what was wrong with her. Why was she feeling pity for herself? What did Malfoy have to do with her sorrow? Why had he tried to comfort her? There were so many questions that she wanted to know the answer to but had no way to find them.   
  
She got up and went to the bathroom to take a warm shower. Once she had removed all of her clothes, she stepped in the tub and let the steaming water wash over her. Her tears blended in with the water and she couldn't tell any longer if she was still crying. She stayed in the shower until her fingers began to wrinkle. When she looked in the mirror, she saw her eyes were red and puffy but at least they were dry now. 'This will be a long day if I can't stop feeling sorry for myself,' she thought to herself. She went to her room and prepared for class.  
  
The next few weeks, Hermione and Draco avoided each other at all costs. They knew what had happened that day was out of the ordinary and to try to explain it would be a hard task.   
  
Oliver visited every weekend but still Hermione felt as if she was being untrue to someone. She did her best to keep on a smile but when she was alone, she cried herself to sleep. Life just wasn't going the way she had planned it. She never expected to be depressed and she certainly never expected herself to be unhappy within the arms of a man that she knew she could truly trust and fall in love with.  
  
Classes went well. She was top of her class (as always) and got perfect marks. She found it surprising that she was still doing this well in all of her classes because she hardly ever paid attention anymore. Her thoughts were a little busy wondering what she was missing.  
  
Draco noticed her depressed state and cursed at himself for what he had done. He thought that taking away her memories would assure her a happy life and make positive that she was never in the position to be lonely or depressed. He knew it was all his fault and he wished now that there was a way that he could fix it. But he also knew that it could've ended up just the same way, if not worse if he had not taken those memories from her. All he could do was hope that in the end she would be all right. Things always work themselves out in the end.  
  
He found ways of staying away from her. If he didn't, he thought he would surely die in agony of not being able to hold her. All he wanted to do was reach out to her and fall asleep in her arms. But the other half of him was indifferent towards her. She was still a mudblood fighting against the dark side and that made her the enemy. Being torn between hate and love, he decided avoiding her was his answer.   
  
Though life was by no means happy and enjoyable, neither one of them could say that it was dull. Every day, their homework piles filled. All around them, couples were forming. Harry had begun to see a sixth year girl in Ravenclaw. Ron was now dating Parvati but Hermione had seen that coming for a while now. Even Neville had found a girlfriend. He and Luna Lovegood had started seeing one another around Christmas.   
  
Draco had decided that he would propose to Pansy. She was a Death Eater and a pureblood. It was expected of him. His father had always said that he was betrothed to her and now he was going to carry that out. She would make the perfect queen of the Dark Side. Everything in her was evil. All she had in her was lies and deceit. Perfect.  
  
One night, Hermione was sick of Malfoy ignoring her. She went to his bedroom door and knocked three times (more like pounded). He mumbled something under his breath and walked to the door, wearing only his black sweatpants that he wore to sleep. When he opened the door and saw Hermione, he was tempted to slam it in her face but he resisted his urge and instead welcomed her into his room.   
  
She felt surprisingly comfortable in his room and she sat down on one of his comfortable chairs. He sat in the seat next to her and they just stared at each other for a while, neither one was sure of what to say.  
  
After about fifteen minutes, she broke the silence. "You can't avoid me forever, Malfoy. If you want to hate me, that's fine. Then hate me. But don't go out of your way to avoid me, taking different routes to class and never coming back to the common room. I'd rather your insults than your back."  
  
"Gee, I didn't know you cared about me," he said sarcastically. "I wasn't avoiding you." He was lying through his teethe but it didn't much matter anymore. He stood up and leaned against the wall, facing away from her. She stood as well and for the second time, placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I said I didn't want to see your back! Don't ignore me especially when I'm right here!"  
  
"Why do you care?" He asked while turning to face her. "We're not friends, we're not study buddies, we're nothing! Why do you care what I think of you or how I treat you?"  
  
"Because you're the only one in this world who is sincere! All of my other friends, they're always too busy to spend time with me anymore and when they do, they're fake. Everything they say is sugarcoated! I want someone in this world to just be REAL! You're always real."  
  
"What about Oliver?"  
  
"He would never say the truth if he thinks it would hurt me. He doesn't want to lose me. I don't think he realizes that telling me the truth and what he truly thinks is the surest way to keep me with him."   
  
"Oh," was all that Draco could say in response. Hermione couldn't believe that she had just confessed all of that to Malfoy but she was glad that she had. He was the only person she felt she could talk to.  
  
"You're always real and true with me. You never change who you are just to make others happy. I wish there were a few more people like you in this school, Malfoy, even if they all hated me. I just want the world to go back to being honest! Why can't everyone just be who they are without worrying what others will think?"  
  
"Because that's not how everything works, Granger, and you bloody well know it. People are what they are. Some people are cowards and others are brave. But bravery is not measured in how many heroic acts one can perform and at what age they can do it, but instead by the everyday actions they perform. Can they be themselves and cast aside all of the negative comments that others throw their way? YOU, Granger, are the bravest person that I know. In all of my years of knowing you, you have never once given a damn if I insulted you and all of the insults that I have said have been pretty hurtful." He said the last part with a smile on his face. No, not a smile. It was a smirk. It was the Draco Malfoy smirk and it made Hermione cautious. It was as if she suddenly realized who she was having this conversation with.  
  
"Thanks, I think. I'm sorry to have just barged in here like I did but I guess I was just annoyed with everything and I had to take it out on somebody. Thanks for listening."  
  
"Listen here, Granger. I am NOT your friend and I will not be the guy you run to with all of your problems." He grew angrier at her with every word he spoke. Without even realizing what he was saying, the words just flew out of his mouth. "I can't just be your friend. It hurts too much. If I can't have all of you, then I don't think it's good for us to have any contact whatsoever. The pain is just too near for me. Please just accept this and leave me in peace."  
  
He turned around and showed her his back once more. She moved around in front of him and stood there staring at his expressionless face. "I'm confused. Did you want to be something MORE than just friends? I don't understand this. What happened to the old Draco Malfoy, the one that used to hate me and say rude things all the time? Now it hurts you to not be able to be with me? Stop me if I'm wrong!"  
  
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" he hollered. "I didn't choose this for us. I never wanted it! Why couldn't the war just be over and I could go on and live my life with the woman that I loved and then we would live happily ever after? I want the fairy tale ending! I don't want to be the Dark Lord anymore! I want them out of me! I don't want to be evil!" He had gained some control over his emotions and had to pour them out, no matter if the one person he didn't want to hear them was listening. "It pains me every day to see you but I know that if I do, I will just fight with you and deny my true emotions so I just... stay away. It's difficult but I don't have much of a choice. I'm consumed by Voldemort and Slytherin and there's no way to change that!"   
  
Draco sat down on her bed and buried his head in his hands. She sat down beside him and lifted his face up to look her in the eyes. "Shh..." she whispered into his ear. "Tell me what I'm missing. I just don't get it." He stood up once more, infuriated by her words.  
  
"OF COURSE YOU DON'T GET IT! I MADE SURE YOU WOULDN'T! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" He raged. She stood up and faced him  
  
"Don't yell at me! I'm trying to understand what you're saying here and you're yelling at me!"  
  
"I'M SORRY!" tears streamed down his cheeks and he fell on to his knees, sobbing. Hermione stood in front of him as he wrapped his arms around her waist in frustration. "I just wish I could take it all back," he confessed. "Please tell me I can take it all back. Please let me!"   
  
She ran her hands through his hair lovingly and caressed his shoulders. "Shh... it's okay. Whatever you want, you can do whatever you want. Tell me how to help you."  
  
He stood up and led her to his bed, laying down and pulling her with him. "I just want to go to sleep and forget all about this in the morning. Can you lay here with me until I fall asleep?"  
  
She nodded her agreement and allowed him to rest his head on her chest, wrapping his arms around her waist. She stayed there until she saw his breathing slow signifying that he had fallen asleep. She slid out from underneath him. She didn't want to see him when he woke up. She was afraid that he would be the same old evil and cruel Draco as always.   
  
She went back to her room and cried hysterically, hoping that when she woke up, she would be in a different place, a world where no one could lie and everyone got along. She knew that this world was Utopia and Utopia was virtually impossible. It was like asking for world peace but she still wanted it. She wanted to know what Draco wanted to take back. What did he do that he regretted? Why had he confessed to her that he was the Dark Lord? Everything he ever said confused her and she wanted so badly to just disappear and go where no one could find her. Maybe when she woke up she would run away... or was it just another dream... one that would never happen.  
  
A/N... Okay.... I'm sooo sorry I haven't updated recently but I had MAJOR writers block. Also, I didn't get as many reviews as I wanted so if you want faster updates, you're going to have to review! I've got a lot of homework to do recently and finals are coming up so you'll really have to review in order for me to update. I hope you guys like this chapter. I'll be finishing up soon. I don't know how many chapters are left but there aren't many. NOW GO REVIEW.... PLEASE? 


	11. It's Only a Matter of Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K.Rowling does  
  
Chapter 11: It's Only a Matter of Time   
  
Once again, weeks passed without Hermione and Draco speaking to each other. He had opened up to her in a way that he had never opened up to anyone else before. She knew that she felt something for him that she couldn't place but she wanted to leave it there. She feared that feeling something for the Dark Lord would only make her life even more complicated, if that was in fact possible.  
  
Draco knew that he had spilled some 'top secret' information to her but for some reason he trusted her. It angered him that she still wound up being depressed but he did his best to keep it off of his mind, realizing his emotions would get the best of him if he did not.   
  
One not too special day, Hermione sat in Transfiguration class listening to McGonagall talk. "Now class, I have a special announcement to make and I want you all to hear it. Normally, as a teacher, I try to stay away from the subject as many of you may disagree with my opinion but today, I must speak my mind. Things have been happening. Strange attacks have been made on muggle born wizards all over London. I fear the possibility of the attacks coming to Hogwarts and I want you all to head my words. NOW is the time for house unity. NOW is the time for students to unite from all houses. Slytherin's and Gryffindors, this is YOUR time to show the world what you are made of. Prove to them that prejudice does not exist in Hogwarts. I know you have your petty differences but I beg of you to put them aside. A day will come when the fate of the wizarding world may lay in your hands and when that day comes, I want to know that we are taken care of. I fear that if you continue down your paths of hate, the wizarding community will fall and all that will be left is hate and evil. Please understand that blood had nothing to do with the ability of one wizard or another. That is all I will say. Now please open your books to page three hundred and forty nine."   
  
No one moved. It was very un-McGonagall like to discuss things such as this with the students. She always told them that these matters were off subject from her class and that they were not important when it came to school.   
  
Later, as they were leaving class, Ron questioned the motives of their Head of House. "What was that all about? We already knew there were attacks, it was in the Daily Prophet. Besides, it's always Dumbledore who tells us about attacks and such. Why would McGonagall tell us and ask us to start getting along with the Slytherins? It seems a bit awkward to me, don't you think?"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. She knew that McGonagall always had her reasons for doing what she did and she would have hoped that even Ron could see that. "Ron, don't question it and just listen to what she told us. She told us to get along with everyone. That means don't intentionally try to piss people off, namely the Slytherins. We don't need any more magical attacks and we especially don't need them in school."   
  
Ron and Harry looked at her with wide eyes. "Hey, do you think McGonagall is a muggle born?" Harry asked with curiosity. None of the teachers ever disclosed that type of information with the students.  
  
"No, I don't think so," Ron said distractedly. "Want to go play a game of wizard's chess?"   
  
Harry's face brightened and he nodded his agreement.  
  
"What about you, 'Mione? You coming?"  
  
Hermione thought for a while and then politely said no. She walked away from them and went to the library. She checked out four large books and headed back to the Head Tower. Once she got there, she plopped down on the couch and took out one of the books, Salazar Slytherin: The Truth Behind the Man. The other books were on Rowena Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Godric Gryffindor. She wanted to research what split them all apart, other than blood.   
  
After that day, not much changed. The Slytherins still went out of their way to torture the Gryffindors and the Gryffindors never let it roll off of their shoulders. The Quidditch matches were particularly interesting. Slytherins vs. Gryffindors... it was always as if they had some sort of score to settle, some personal revenge. And they did. "Breeding will win out." That's what the snakes would shout from the stands. The Gryffindors chose a much lighter response. "Let's go, Gryffindor. Let's go, Gryffindor!" They kept their insults to a minimum under McGonagall's instructions. She had threatened her house that the next student in Gryffindor to start a fight with someone from another house would receive a month worth of detention.  
  
Hermione had no choice about attending the games. Oliver always wanted to go and wouldn't accept her trying to stay back, regardless of schoolwork. One day though, she couldn't take the awkwardness of it all. She split up with Oliver. He didn't seem too upset by it. He still visited Ron and Harry often and when he ran into Hermione, he didn't talk to her like it was weird, he talked to her like a friend. She was happy with that because she always liked him, just not in a romantic way.  
  
One day in April, she woke up with a bad feeling. She felt like something bad was going to happen that day but she couldn't guess what. When she got to the Great Hall for breakfast, she noticed most of the teachers were wearing black. After everyone was seated, Dumbledore rose, looking very solemn.   
  
"Attention, students, attention! I regret to inform you that last night, there was an attack in the school. One of our staff was hit with an unforgivable curse. Professor McGonagall is no longer with us. There will be no classes today due to the recent events. I would like to warn all muggle-borns and half-blooded wizards to be on alert."  
  
Everyone's faces fell, even some of the Slytherins. It was a huge loss. Though McGonagall was the strictest of all the professors, she had always been fair and kind. She never showed favoritism and showed her affection for her students in a different kind of way, through their work. She dedicated all of her time and effort into her job, not because she was paid to but because she cared about the students and wanted them to have every advantage. She loved them and regardless of what they said behind her back or even to her face, they loved her as well.   
  
Hermione felt tears sting her eyes and as always when she cried, she looked for a certain platinum blonde haired boy with the most mysterious cold gray eyes she had ever seen. She looked at the Slytherin table, but Malfoy was nowhere to be found. She could now taste the salt from her tears and she stood up quickly. She had to find Malfoy. No matter what, he could always make her at least not think about the pain for a short while. She ran to the Head Tower and scanned the common room for him. Nothing. She knocked on his door but there was no response so she just walked in. There was a lump in the unmade bed and she could tell that it was him. She sat on the bed beside him and shook him slightly. "Malfoy... Malfoy wake up," she whispered. "Come on, Malfoy. I really need to talk!" She shook him harder now, just needing him to comfort her, though she doubted he would do it knowingly. But he always made her feel better. He just had that effect on her, no matter what he said.  
  
He turned over in his bed and she felt the situation grow uncomfortable. She was kneeling next to him on his bed, practically on top of him. "What do you want from me now, Granger? Must you wake me up this early in the morning?" He apparently had not looked at the time.  
  
"Malfoy, it's already nine o'clock and on any other day, classes would be starting soon."  
  
"What do you mean on any other day."  
  
"Pr...Professor... Professor McGongall... she... she died, Draco. She died."  
  
Draco's jaw dropped. Had he heard her correctly? If he had, then that would mean that his dream wasn't actually a dream. No... it wasn't possible, was it? "Are you serious?"  
  
She looked into his yes and he could see the answer. She responded anyway, "Don't I look like I'm serious? Why else would I be crying?"  
  
He buried his head in his pillow, not being able to look at her face. How could he tell her? He couldn't let her know. "How did she die?" he mumbled into the pillow.  
  
"One of the... the unforgivable curses," she stuttered. She couldn't stop her tears anymore and at this point neither could he. "I just don't know what to do anymore, Draco. My life is just spiraling downwards into the ground. It's as if I'm the captain on a ship, which is sinking. I'm going down with my ship. I'm going down with my ship, Draco, and I'm drowning now. I'm suffocating and now with McGonagall gone, I'm just at a loss for what to do with myself. She was my role model, a mother figure to me."  
  
"Do they know why she was killed?"  
  
"Dumbledore didn't say but I assume it's because she was a muggle-born. She never told anyone except me but it wasn't as if it was impossible to find out. She only told me because... well in second year, I was crying. It was the first time you had called me a mudblood. She wanted to assure me that being muggle born had no effect on my abilities as a witch."  
  
For the second time in his life, he was speechless. The only word he could mutter was "Oh." They sat there for a while, silent tears streaming down their faces. After a few minutes, he stood up and picked her up in his arms.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"We're going down to the common room."  
  
"Why are you carrying me?"  
  
"Well I figured that after such a stressful morning, your legs would be tired. Forgive me if I'm wrong but don't your legs give up when you feel stressed?" She nodded her head as an answer. "Then wouldn't you prefer that I carry you?"  
  
"Yes, please," she replied quietly. "But what are we going to do in the common room?"  
  
"I figured you'd be more comfortable there. I mean, we're not exactly friends and I think technically we still consider each other enemies. I didn't think that you were comfortable in the bed of an enemy. Was I right?"  
  
She didn't answer but instead, wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled her head against his shoulder. He carried her down the steps that led to the common room and sat down on the couch with her on his lap. They sat there for hours, neither one was sure what to say. At one point, she drifted off to sleep but it was only a short nap. He was still there when she woke up which comforted her.  
  
"Hermione, I think there's something... something that I need to tell you," he said without looking into her eyes. "I blanked out last night. I can't recall anything that I did. I went up to my room around eight o'clock and then I don't know what else. I don't remember."  
  
She didn't look shocked or surprised. She didn't look mad or sad. She looked as if she had expected it. "I thought that it may have been you but I didn't want to accuse you. I mean, you did tell me that you were the Dark Lord. Who else would have attacked her? Maybe the death eaters would have killed her, but it would have been under your command."  
  
"No, Hermione, you don't understand. I don't want this. I didn't want to kill her, I don't even remember if I did!" He stood up abruptly pushing her off of him. He began clawing at his head. "Get out of me! Just leave me alone! Let me be! I don't want to be like you. You're evil! I'm not, I swear it!" Then something odd happened. His voice dropped and he stopped pounding his head. The voice sounded calmer and more sadistic. "Oh but you ARE evil," it said. "YOU were the one to sneak into her room. YOU were the one to stupefy her and then YOU were the one to use the unforgivable on her. Since YOU were the one to do all of these things, then that makes YOU the one that is evil." Suddenly, the clawing stopped. "NO! NO! It wasn't me! I...YOU made me do it! I didn't want to kill her! She didn't deserve to die!"  
  
"Yes she did!" the sadistic voice responded. "She was a mudblood!"  
  
"She was a great woman!"  
  
"She was filthy and dirty..."  
  
"SHUT UP!" Draco roared at himself. He looked at Hermione (who now looked extremely scared) with pleading eyes. "Please help me get rid of them. They're driving me crazy. They're always in my head, telling me what to do! I can't stop them. I just want them out! I hate them... I hate me," he said the last part more quietly as tears stained his pale cheeks. She looked up at him, finally understanding what was going on. The past leaders of the dark side somehow possessed him and now they had gained control.   
  
"I think I should go get Professor Dumbledore..."  
  
"NO!" he shouted as quickly as he could. "He can't know! If you go to him... they'll kill you. It's a spell. The minute either of us goes to tell any of the authorities, YOU die. Please don't go. I can't lose you! You're all I have." Now Hermione had heard some pretty strange things today but when Malfoy confessed that she was the only person he felt he could talk to, that took the prize. He was down on his knees in front of her, clutching her hands in his.  
  
"I have to go," she said, feeling slighting uncomfortable. "I'm going to the library to do some... research," she said quickly, trying to shake off this horrible feeling that was forming in the pit of her stomach. Maybe it was butterflies, maybe it was nerves but she couldn't tell. The way Malfoy was looking at her told her that he was okay for the time being. "While I'm gone, why don't you go lock yourself up in your room and get some more sleep, eh? I doubt that you slept a wink last night and I know that you get... cranky without enough sleep." He nodded and retreated back to his room.   
  
She ran to the library and took out any book she could find on possessing and mind control. She also snuck into the restricted section for any books on the dark arts and the inauguration ceremony for the Dark Lord. She brought at least ten books back to her room to do some research up there. She couldn't study in the library. What if someone walked in and saw what she was reading? Possessing people and inaugurating Dark Lords isn't something that a normal person would be interested in.   
  
She buried her head in her books for the remainder of the day, ignoring all of her friends who had stopped by to visit. Finally, at midnight, she thought she found something. The book said that at the inauguration ceremony, the upcoming Dark Lord would mix blood with that of the strongest Dark Wizards throughout history. She assumed that meant Voldemort and Slytherin, of course. Who else? Everyone else in the Dark Arts is mostly coward. She figured that most Death Eaters are only that because if they said no, the consequences would have been far greater.   
  
After she dog-eared the page, she ran to Draco's room and pounded on his door but found a note on it instead. 'Hermione, I was starving. Went to Kitchen to get us some food. Don't worry. Be back soon, D. Malfoy' She ran back down the steps to the common room and saw him entering through the portrait hole. "I got you some food as well," he said courteously. "Thought you'd be hungry." He placed a tray of food in front of her and she dug in, not caring how much of a pig she looked like. She was hungry, starving perhaps. She hadn't eaten her breakfast and had skipped all of the other meals that day so she could research.   
  
"Thank you," she said politely. "Okay, so I found out that it might not technically be you. I think it's Voldemort and Slytherin acting THROUGH you. Did you go through a ceremony?"  
  
"Yes," he replied sheepishly. "But it wasn't my choice."  
  
She didn't understand what he meant by that but decided not to question him. "All right. Well, I believe it wasn't your choice. After what I saw this morning, I see that you're fighting some type of battle inside so I trust you, but I need to know why you became the Dark Lord."  
  
His answer consisted of one four-letter word, as if it explained everything. "Love." She looked at him, her eyebrows raised and he wished he could have had a picture of her just then. She looked so cute when she was confused. "Love is a weakness and it became mine. I had fallen in love and that is why I didn't want to be the Dark Lord. But they kidnapped her and tortured her and threatened to kill her unless I gave in to their demands. They wanted me to be their Dark Lord and if I refused then her life would be taken from this world."  
  
"Do you regret it?"  
  
"You mean, would I do it again? In a heartbeat. You see, I can't be with her anymore but I can see her. She's living and that's really all that matters. It's torturing not to be able to be with her but this way, she at least has a chance of being happy."  
  
"How does she feel? Doesn't she hate not being able to be with you? Isn't she depressed? I mean, if I fell in love, I could never get over the guy."  
  
"I know. That's why I erased yo-HER memory," he caught himself before he told her who the girl was. "I didn't want her moping and crying over what we had, what we could have had, what we were going to have."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple silver ring with one small diamond on top of it. "She likes the simpler things," he said, handing the ring to Hermione for her to admire it. "I was going to ask her to be mine forever. I was going to tell her that nothing could take me away from her but then..." Tears flowed down his cheeks and she went to wipe them from his face but he turned away from her. "How can you be so kind to me after what I've done? How could you ever forgive me?" Hermione figured he was talking about McGonagall's death and the past six years that he tortured her but she was wrong. "It's all my fault. You're depressed and I can't fix it. I was supposed to be there to fix it for you but instead I only make it worse."  
  
"I'm not sure I get what you're talking about but I assure you that if anything, you're the cure for my depression. When I get mad or sad, I feel compelled to run to you, as if you can comfort me but... I don't get it. I take comfort in being in the arms of the Dark Lord? But I do understand now," she said with a smile "I take comfort not in the arms of the Dark Lord, but in the arms of a man who got caught up in something he never wanted to take part in. You are a good man, Draco Malfoy. You would have made a great husband."  
  
"Well we'll never know now, will we?" he said glumly.  
  
"Look at me, Draco," she commanded. He didn't listen to her instructions, afraid that she would see through his expressions. "Look at me, God damnit!" She grabbed him by the shoulders and whirled him around. "YOU make your own decisions, Draco. They hold no power over you. We'll find a way for you to be with your girlfriend again." Her heart broke at the very words. Draco was already in love with someone. Inside, she knew that she had been falling for him but now there was no hope. He had given his heart to another and she would never be able to be with him. "I'll keep researching and find a way. I found things on the inauguration of the Dark Lord. Now all we need is how to reverse the ceremony."  
  
He flashed a warm smile at her but it meant nothing. "You can't save me. The only way I can be defeated is by my equal and I am destined to fall under his hands. That is my destiny. There's some prophecy on it. You know, you read it."  
  
"I did?" She racked her brain for a few minutes before stumbling on it. Yes, she had read the prophecy. The Dark Lord will face his equal and he will fall. "Oh. I'm sorry," she replied while feeling a little bit silly for not remembering. "Well, then how can I help you? I can't stand seeing you so upset. For some reason, it hurts me."  
  
He sat down on the couch and sighed. "You're the kindest person I've ever met. I don't know how you do it, but your good-hearted nature never ceases to amaze me. That's why this is so hard for me. There isn't a thing about you that I don't treasure. You're precious to me but you shouldn't know that. I tried to make sure that you'd never know that but I can't keep it from you. I... I... I can't live without you. Your touch, your smile... you drive me crazy just thinking about the way we were together. Do you remember? No, of course you don't. That's my fault. You could never remember something that has been erased from your memory. But you should know this now... I love you. You're the only girl for me." He paused for a moment, going over everything he had just said and suddenly regretted it. He hadn't meant to do that but he couldn't take it back.  
  
"You love me?" she asked. Her mind was racing. 'I...me... I'm the girl? He fell in love with me? I fell for him? This is just getting way too weird.' She looked up into his face and saw that he was avoiding eye contact. "Don't say something like that when you don't mean it." She said, assuming he had lied to her.  
  
"I meant it, Hermione. It was you. I didn't want you to wallow. I didn't want you to look at me in the hall and get sad. I just wanted you to be okay."   
  
He stood with his back to her and they stayed silent for at least ten minutes. 'Why isn't she saying anything? I just poured my heart out to her. She should have SOMETHING to say, shouldn't she?' He whizzed around to see her reaction but it wasn't a pleasing one. She had passed out from the shock. He quickly picked her up without hesitation and ran as fast as his legs could take him to the Hospital Wing.  
  
"What happened to her?" Madame Pomfrey asked as soon as they arrived.   
  
"I don't know. One minute, we were talking. I turned my back for just one minute, give or take, and when I looked back, she was sprawled out on the floor. Is she going to be okay?"  
  
She directed him to a bed and told him that he had better step back and let her do her job. He stepped out of the room and waited in the hallway directly outside of it. 'How could I be so stupid?' he thought to himself. 'I should've known not to overload her. Her legs must have given out. Damn whoever hexed her! I can't believe how things went tonight! I never wanted something like this to happen. If she's not all right, I blame myself.'  
  
After about an hour of pacing back and forth in the corridor, Madame Pomfrey came out looking grim. "It's the paralysis. She's unconscious."  
  
"Will she wake up again? That's what I want to know. Tell me! Will she wake up again?" He shook her from the shoulders, demanding the answer. Once he slowed down enough for her to respond, she replied with a solemn face.  
  
"It's up to her. Only she can make that choice. It can go either way."  
  
"But I thought that the spell... well she read that it had never killed anyone. How could it kill her if that's not what the curse does?"  
  
"No... she forgot to read the fine print. You see, paralysis makes a wizard go insane from being cooped up so long. Then, if they feel stressed and overwhelmed, they may pass out but whether they wake up is up to them. Many have chosen death because their life is driving them crazy. Like I said earlier, it's up to her."  
  
Draco ran to her side of the bed. 'So this is what she felt when I was in a coma,' he thought wryly to himself. All he could feel was his heart being wrenched from inside of him, the worst feeling in the world as far as he could tell. He sat by her side all night, telling her how he felt. Things like "I love you so much," and "You can't leave me. Never leave me. I need you too much." He held her hand and kissed it.   
  
In the morning, Madame Pomfrey came in to the Hospital Wing and found Draco lying in bed with her, not sleeping. He looked as though he hadn't slept for even a moment. He was stroking the side of her arm, whispering incoherently into her ear.   
  
"Dear, if you don't mind me asking, what is your new relationship with Ms. Granger? I was under the impression that you were enemies." Madame Pomfrey said, sounding frightened that his answer may be cruel or harsh. And it was.  
  
"My relationship with Hermione is none of your concern and you'll do well to keep all of your thoughts to yourself." Even though she was a teacher, he was still the Dark Lord and he had a manner that demanded fear and respect from all those he conversed with.   
  
He pushed a tendril of hair behind her ear, and saw a pained expression cross her face. She was fighting something inside, a war with herself. He knew what it was. Should she come back to the light or not? But he knew what he wanted her to do. It was the reason that he gave up his life. He wanted her to live. Life was the greatest adventure of them all and he hoped she knew that.   
  
He stayed with her all day, skipping all of his classes and taking all of his meals in bed. She was all that mattered to him. Every now and then, he would feel hate course through his system and would ask himself why he still cared about her but it wore off quickly.   
  
That night, after Madame Pomfrey left, Draco got off of the bed and stood on the side that she was facing. "I know you technically can't here me, Hermione, but listen anyway. I need you to live. You're all that I have in this world. Even when we're not together, even after Christmas, you still have a way of making me a better person, though I doubt you can save me from my path. Anyway, now you have to listen to me. I know you've never been one to listen to instructions or orders but I am commanding you to come back to me. Come back and save me. Stop being so bloody stubborn and come back to me." He choked out the words as if they were his last.   
  
'If she won't come to me, I will go to her. I can't live without her. Maybe death is a great adventure as well. I could just join her in the after life... NO! Draco, what are you thinking? Killing yourself? There has to be a better way, one where we can both be alive, together, and happy.'   
  
He decided to let his heart take over. He knelt down on one knee and did something even he didn't expect. "Hermione, once you wake up, I'm making you mine," he said with hope in his voice. "I will marry you and be the happiest man in the world, if only you would wake up. I need you to answer my proposal. Will you marry me?" He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her hand lovingly. Suddenly, she began to stir. Her eyes were fluttering open. "'Mione?" he said questioningly. "Are you... are you waking up?"  
  
Her eyes flickered open completely and she turned her head to look at Draco. "Yes," she replied with a smile. "To both of your questions."  
  
"You'll... you'll really marry me?"  
  
"Tell me when and where and I'm there," she said weakly. "I heard you calling. I didn't want to come back. I could see McGonagall and Sirius Black on the other side, waving to me, inviting me to join them but then I heard your voice. You were proposing and I couldn't say no. I need you too, Draco. I couldn't imagine not having you in my life. Please don't ever make me imagine not having you in my life. You're too important to me."   
  
He captured her lips in his without uttering another word. The moment was just too perfect. The kiss had been long overdue. He had not felt the feel of her lips since Christmas and he never wanted to give that up. They got swept up in passion and they showed their love for each other all night long.  
  
But in the back of Draco's mind, he knew it couldn't last. He was still the Dark Lord and would soon be killed by his 'equal.' It was only a matter of time.  
  
A/N... Thanks so much to all my reviewers. I have to say that you guys keep me inspired, though I have to say, I'd like a few more reviews. It's so great when I get online an that annoying voice goes, "You've got mail." And then I check and I have like four or five reviews. It's beautiful. It's one of the greatest feelings, knowing that my work is appreciated.  
  
This is sort of a cliffhanger. Sorry for those of you who didn't want McGonagall to get killed off. She happens to be one of my favorite characters and I would normally hate to see her die but I needed to stress the importance of the death. She died because the war is starting and you have to really try and see Draco struggling with the other half of him that wants to be evil and that wants to kill.   
  
I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to make the story. I've always like the idea of having twelve chapters but I don't think I can fit everything into one chapter. As it is, this chapter is the longest I have written thus far.   
  
Tell me what you want to happen in the next chapter. I'm going to try to update as quick as possible but at the current moment, I have a huge Spanish test to study for, two Spanish projects, one English performance assessment, a math project, and a history paper all due by Monday and I haven't started any of them.   
  
Thanks to all my reviewers. Keep reviewing because I love you guys. The more you review the more I love you. (hehe, that rhymed.) Okay, bye byes for now. 


	12. Mother Dearest

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K.Rowling does. :(  
  
Chapter 12: Mother Dearest  
  
The next day, they left the hospital wing, Draco carrying her. They walked through a secret passage back to the head tower, not wanting anyone to see them together. Once they got back, he placed her down gently on the couch.   
  
She looked at him, then at the ring on her finger, then back at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "I...I...I can't say that I ever saw this coming," she admitted. "Who would have thought that you and me would ever end up together?" she said with a laugh. He just smiled, content in listening to her speak. "Draco?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Could you... I mean, do you think that it's possible for you to return my memories to me? I think it's reasonable considering I love you now anyway and if you left now, I'd still be depressed, with or without my memories, and see... it really wasn't fair. You took them but they're mine and I want them back, and..." she began to ramble but he cut her off.  
  
"Of course. But I warn you, they're not all pretty. I'm telling you now that I disobeyed one of your commands."  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"You asked me to promise you that I would leave your memory alone, no matter what. I couldn't do that, 'Mi." She smiled at the loving nickname. "I... I had this nightmare one night, of you. You were captured and brought to me under my orders. I saw bruises on your arms, not bruises really, but rather they were scars, self-inflicted scars."  
  
"I see," she said with a heavy sigh. "Well that hasn't happened though."  
  
"That's because I took away your memory."  
  
"Well I want it back now. Please?"  
  
He pointed his wand at her and muttered something incoherently. Her body shook and fell over on the couch. He ran to where she sat and lifter her head. He sat down and put her head in his lap, stroking her hair gently. "Mi, wake up!" he commanded. "MI! MI!"  
  
Her eyes flicked open and she sat straight up, looking rather zombie-like. She stood up quickly and walked over a loose board in the floor. She lifted it and inside, was a box, shaped like a ring.  
  
"Mi, what's that?" Draco asked with caution.  
  
"It's...well, I was afraid back then that you would never get around to it so I decided I was going to do it myself. I wanted to marry you, Draco. I was going to propose to you, whether or not you were a coward."  
  
"I am no coward!" he shrieked in defense.  
  
"You are too. You are a coward of love! You run and hide behind your big fancy Death Eater/Dark Lord crap but come off of it. You were secretly happy the day I got kidnapped and my life was threatened. You were hoping for an opportunity like that so you could get an easy way out."  
  
"The Dark Lord... easy way out? The only harder thing I can think of is not being with you. Being the Dark Lord is no easy feat, I can assure you, but it's not the hardest thing that I've done. The hardest thing that I've ever done was trying to stay away from you." He sauntered over to where she stood and put his arms around her but she pushed away.  
  
"Stop trying to say the right things like what you did was okay. I'm still extremely mad at you!" He raised his eyebrows and tightened the corners of his lips so he was frowning. "And don't give me that face! You're still in trouble, mister!" She said, only half meaning her words.  
  
"Come on, Hermione," he said with a devilish grin. "You know you can't stay mad at me. You're my fiancé. You could never stay angry with me, no matter how hard you try." He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him and into an embrace. "I love you. You know that, don't you? I would never do anything that I thought would harm you in any way shape or form."  
  
She looked up at him and deep into his eyes, those gray orbs that were once cold and empty. They now held some emotion in them. "I know, Draco. But you have no idea how confused I was. I felt like I had this hole in me but only you could fill it. Then, you told me you were the Dark Lord and I was even MORE confused. The Dark Lord could fill my emptiness? How bizarre is that?"  
  
He kissed her forehead lightly and looked back into her eyes. They were brimming with tears that she was now trying to hold back. "Sh... It's okay now, 'Mi. I'm here for you now. Don't worry." He took a glance at the time and sighed with regret. "I have to go somewhere right now, though. I'll be back in a couple of hours."  
  
She pulled out of their embrace and sat on the couch. "Where are you going?"  
  
He looked into the fire that she had started in the fireplace, afraid to look into her eyes and see the sadness that lay within them. "I have a meeting with... some people." He knew she would get what he meant by that and he didn't feel like saying it outright.  
  
But she did. "So you have a meeting with the Death Eaters in school? Of course you do, because they couldn't just let us enjoy the day we got engaged, now could they?" She said in a sarcastic tone. Then she got serious. "Don't go."  
  
"What? How could I not go? I am the Dark Lord. You can't have a Death Eater meeting without the Dark Lord. That would be ludicrous."  
  
"I'm asking you not to go. Stay, please?"  
  
He took a seat next to her on the couch and held her hand in his, rubbing her palm with his thumb, a loving gesture. "If I stayed, they would think something happened and they would come here, looking for me."  
  
"Then we leave. We go somewhere else, maybe America. We hide out for the rest of our lives. They never have to know where we've gone. We can live anywhere we want and never have to leave each others side. Don't you want that, Draco? Don't you want us to be together without everyone condemning our relationship?"  
  
He stood up and leaned against the wall, still not looking her in the eyes. "They would find us, wherever we went. They have their ways. Hermione, understand this. We're not in some romantic muggle film where it always ends with the guy getting the girl and them riding off into the sunset, happily ever after. This is real. I fear our ending won't be so happy."  
  
"WHY NOT?" she hollered in rage. "How does it end? Does one of us die? Is that our fate? Because that's the only way I will leave you, is if one of us is dead."  
  
Suddenly there was another voice in the room. "So be it," it said. The voice was cold and sent shivers down Hermione's back. Draco looked around to see who it was but they were standing in the shadows.  
  
"Show yourself," Draco commanded, but the person just laughed in response.  
  
"I was hoping that you would get the message the first time, when Blaise and Pansy kidnapped the mudblood but apparently you're too dense for that. Fine, I understand that love will blind men but then I sent you both a second warning. Your nightmares, I sent them to you to stop THIS from ever happening but even this is not clear enough for you."  
  
"You... you sent us those nightmares?" Hermione questioned. "But... who are you? What do you want from us?"  
  
The cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows and took down their hood. "I want my son to become the greatest dark wizard that this world has ever seen!"  
  
"Mrs. Malfoy?" Hermione said in shock.  
  
"Narcissa, if you don't mind," the woman replied. "I never liked Lucius much and his damn last name is a constant reminder of him. I much prefer to be called by my first name, thank you very much."  
  
Hermione finally stood up from her seat on the couch and took a few steps back, away from Narcissa. "YOU!" she screamed. "You tried to keep Draco away from me by sending him an awful nightmare, didn't you?"  
  
"And I thought it had worked, too. But there you go again, Draco, being the stupid boy that your father always claimed you were."  
  
"Remember where you are, Narcissa, and remember the powers I possess. I will not tolerate you coming here and insulting me like this. I am still the Dark Lord and you are one of my servants. Do not make the mistake in underestimating my rashness. I tend to be very spur of the moment, and at this moment, I like the idea of seeing you in a coffin. Don't tempt me," Draco warned.  
  
Narcissa didn't look frightened or even phased. She looked...happy. "There's my boy. That's what I was looking for. That anger...it's what fuels the Dark Arts. Anger and hatred, they empower us. Now use that negative energy and focus it enough to kill this poor pathetic excuse for a witch," she said, motioning towards Hermione.   
  
Draco held out his wand, but it was not focused on Hermione, rather it was focused on Narcissa. "Do not tell me what to do, Narcissa. You are my servant, not my mother, and as such, you will take orders from me! Is that clear?"  
  
"Draco, you insolent bastard! How dare you speak to me that way! I may be a servant of the Dark Lord but I am still the mother of him as well. Without me, you would have never been born. I brought you into this world and I can take you out!" She took out her wand as well but this time, it was his turn to laugh.  
  
"None but my equal can kill me, Narcissa, and I highly doubt that YOU are my equal."  
  
Hermione walked over to where he stood and placed her hand over his arm that was holding out his wand. She pushed it back. "You've already killed one person, Draco. Let's not add another, at least not with me in your presence."  
  
Narcissa took this moment as her opportunity to strike. "CRUCIO!" she yelled to Hermione. Hermione fell over, clutching her stomach in pain. "Draco, you're going to stand there while I kill this mudblood, and when I am done with her, you will go to the meeting and you will take your seat as the Dark Lord."  
  
"You're wrong, woman!" he said coldly. Even her name was too good for him to call her by. "If you take her from me, I will take myself from this world. I have no other reason to live other than her. She is my savior, my love, my everything and I will not survive without her. Take her away, and I go with her."  
  
Hermione stood back up from the ground, only to fall back down again when Narcissa yelled "Crucio!" once more. She didn't scream or cry, merely clutched to Draco's feet.   
  
"Let me go," she said to him. "That's where we can be together. Once she's done with me, come and find me in the after life. Only THERE can we truly be together," she whispered.  
  
A tear streamed down his cheek and he couldn't handle the events that were occurring right before his very eyes. "We'll find another way, my love. Trust me, we'll find another way. But right now, I must save you, for I cannot watch you die by the likes of HER!" He aimed his wand at the woman he used to call mother. "IMPERIOUS!" he shouted. "Now, listen to my words and my orders for you are under my command now. You are going to go to the Death Eater meeting and you will tell them that I do not feel well. When you're done there, you're going to go back to Malfoy Manor and never return to Hogwarts again. Is that clear?" She nodded her head and left.  
  
Hermione lay sprawled out on the floor, crying hysterically. "WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LET HER KILL ME? I WANTED TO DIE! THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE WE CAN BE TOGETHER!"  
  
He picked her up, ignoring her screaming and brought her back to his bed. He pulled the covers back and rested her head against the pillow. "I have to go. I love you, though, and I want to be with you. We WILL find a way. Rest now and have sweet dreams. Don't leave the room. It's not safe." He kissed the top of her head and watched her eyes flutter closed.   
  
Draco walked down the halls of Hogwarts, mentally slapping himself for leaving her in such a depressed mood but he knew that he had to do something if he ever wanted to be with her. He had to talk to her friends.  
  
He knew that the Gryffindor Quidditch Team had practice right then so he walked down to the pitch. Sad memories floated through his mind, the day that he left her, the day that changed everything. He saw the Gryffindors flying high in the sky, going over all of their plays and he admired their hard work.   
  
Harry and Ron saw Malfoy walking onto the field and they lowered themselves to the ground. "What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked sounding suspicious.  
  
"I'm here to talk to you. We have much to discuss."  
  
"You can say that again," Ron chimed in. "Why wasn't Hermione in class yesterday? The portrait into the Head Tower wouldn't let us in to check on her so I figured you would knowing, being Head Boy and sharing a common room with her and all."  
  
"That's what I'm here to talk about. Hermione and I need you help."  
  
"WHAT?" Harry replied in awe. "Why do YOU need OUR help? Is there really something that the great Draco Malfoy can't do on his own?"  
  
"It's not just me you'd be helping, Potter. Hermione is in great danger and I really need you two to protect her." He looked up at them and saw confusion on their faces. "If I tell you something, I need to know that you're going to keep it to yourselves." They nodded their heads reluctantly and Draco began his long tale of how he became the Dark Lord. "And you can't go to Dumbledore. They've put a curse on us. If someone goes to Dumbledore, Hermione dies. There's no way around it, I've checked."  
  
They took a while to process all of the information until Ron finally spoke. "Well then what do you need us for?" he asked.  
  
"I have a battle to fight, against the Death Eaters. I'm not asking you to join in, I'm asking you to watch her while I'm gone. I'm afraid that something will happen to her without me there and I need to know that she is safe. Please, can you do that?"  
  
They looked at each other, silently agreeing on their answer. Harry spoke up for the two of them. "No," he replied firmly. "We want to help you take them down. We want to be there to help destroy every last one of those scum."  
  
Draco agreed, knowing that he needed their help. "But we're going to need even more backup," Ron said, chiming in. "Let's get some more recruits." They set to work, putting together a list of people who would fight against the Dark Side. Harry thought of everyone that had joined the D.A. and asked them all for their help. Most of them agreed. No teachers were ever told.  
  
"This still leaves the question of who shall protect Hermione," Draco brought up. "Who's left? You two were my first and only choices. I don't know who else I would trust with the safety of my most prized possession."  
  
"How 'bout we land her in detention with Snape? He could protect her," Harry offered but Draco immediately dismissed the idea.  
  
"No. Snape's too risky. He's playing both sides. In the end, he's only in it for whoever wins."  
  
"Oh," Ron said. "Well what about with one of the other teachers?"  
  
"No. That won't work either. McGonagall was the strongest teacher and even SHE couldn't protect herself. Teachers are no use. Think of someone else."  
  
They thought for a few minutes, no one was completely sure what to say but then Harry came up with a solution. "We could organize a ball, an end of the year ball for the whole school. You're the head boy, you can do that. And in the middle of the party, call a Death Eater meeting. Can you do that?"  
  
"Yeah, whenever I want them, their bloody scars burn. They'll know when I call for them," he replied with assurance in his voice.  
  
"Okay, great!" Ron exclaimed. "And while you're at the meeting, we'll come with the D.A. and attack the meeting. Sound good?"  
  
They all agreed and then split up. Harry and Ron went back to their practice while Draco returned to the Head Tower. He ran up to his room, looking for Hermione but she wasn't there. There was a note on the bed.   
  
Dear Draco,  
  
I couldn't sit around here and wait for you to get back. I couldn't stay in that room and wait for something bad to happen again, so I went to the Gryffindor Common Room to talk to Ginny. I haven't spent much time with her lately and I miss spending time with my friends. Don't worry about me and my 'safety.' I'm a perfectly good witch and I can handle it if anyone attacks me in a corridor. Get some sleep now. You have a Quidditch match tomorrow against Gryffindor so I suggest you rest. Not good to play the best team without your beauty sleep.  
  
Love,  
  
Hermione  
  
Draco was infuriated by the note. He had told her to stay put. Why didn't she listen? He got changed in pajamas and went to bed, still extremely upset.  
  
"Welcome all students, to the last Quidditch match of the year. It will be Slytherin versus Gryffindor for the house cup! It will definitely be an interesting match!" Lee Jordan's voice rang through the pitch.  
  
Hermione sat in the Gryffindor section, seated between the two girls she despised the most, Lavender and Parvati. She wore her Gryffindor robes but underneath, Her shirt was green and her skirt was silver. She was rooting for the Slyterins (secretly.)   
  
The players flew onto the field and Hermione spotted her lover flying around in circles. He did a few more laps before heading straight towards the Gryffindor spot in the stands. He stopped directly in front of his fiancé.   
  
"I told you not to go last night," he whispered. "I don't appreciate coming back to my room and finding you gone, leaving nothing but a note."  
  
"Draco, I can't just sit around in the room all day. I'm not a dog and you can't keep me locked up. Are you seriously angry with me?"  
  
"I don't like people disobeying my commands!" He said in a low monotonous voice. "I am to be feared and respected, and no one shall undermine my authority!"  
  
"I do not fear you and only on good days do I respect you. Oh yeah, and you have no authority over me." She said with anger.  
  
"Why did you come to the match? Did you do it just to anger me, coming here wearing the Gryffindor colors?"  
  
She unbuttoned the first few buttons on her robe and he could see the green peeking through. "I am supporting you, I hope YOU win," she said, hoping he would forgive her though in her eyes, she did nothing wrong.  
  
She was glad to see his anger turn into happiness and he smiled. "Are you my prize if I win?"  
  
She smiled and pulled him closer, leaning in so her lips hovered closely to his ear. "ONLY if you win," she whispered. He flew away and the game started.   
  
Hours later, the game ended with a miraculous dive and Draco catching the golden snitch. The Gryffindors were having a party in their common room, despite the fact that they lost, but Hermione turned down the invitation, claiming she still didn't feel well from the fainting spell she had the other day, which was how she explained her absence to anyone who asked.  
  
She went back to her room and sat down on the couch, waiting for her fiancé to return. She took off her robe and allowed the skirt to ride up a bit, exposing more of her long legs, knowing that Draco would go wild for her once he saw her.  
  
He ditched the Slytherin victory party by saying he had sustained a serious injury and needed to have Madame Pomfrey look at it, though he never went to the Hospital Wing. When he got back to his room and opened the door, he found his trophy waiting on the couch for him.  
  
"There you are, my trophy, my prize," he said, half to himself. He took off all of his Quidditch gear and sat by her side.  
  
"And what does the winner ask of his prize?" she asked with a smile.  
  
"Just take care of me. I feel really tired right now. Your Gryffindor team never fails to wear me out." She seemed to know exactly what he needed. She took off his shirt and turned him over so he was now lying on the couch, on his stomach. She crawled on top of him and began massaging his broad shoulders.  
  
"You're so tense. I guess that's to be expected after such a hard day," she mumbled while Draco just moaned in pleasure.  
  
"You're a professional, at everything that you do. Do you know that?" he said while allowing is eyes to close, tempted to fall into a deep slumber.  
  
"Just one of the perks of being Perfect Granger, I guess." She massaged his back for at least an hour before she noticed that he had fallen asleep. She was tired as well but didn't want to leave him. He was taking up the whole couch in the position that he was in so she settled for just lying down on top of him, knowing he wouldn't mind.  
  
A/N... Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews and for your suggestions. I loved hearing your feedback on everything and what you guys think should happen. It was funny because you were thinking along the same lines as I already had. I had this written before you guys sent in your suggestions but I was really happy with the overwhelming response. You guys rock. Keep up with the reviews because it really does get the chapters out faster.   
  
Currently, I'm overwhelmed with homework but my teachers are easing up a bit now and I can write more. I'm going to start a new Harry Potter fan fic based on the story of Helen of Troy. I wondered if any of you would be interested in reading it if I post it. Tell me in your reviews.  
  
I hope you liked this chapter. I can't wait for you guys to read the next one. It's all about the ball. Just so you know, Hermione has no idea that Draco talked to Ron and Harry and what they're planning for the ball. He doesn't want her to be a part of it because he can't risk her getting hurt. But knowing our Hermione, do you really think she won't find a way to join in on the action? You'll have to read and find out. But you can only read if I update and I will only update if you review so click on the button and do it already. 


	13. Killer

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K.Rowling does. Boo hoo.  
  
Chapter 13: Killer  
  
When they woke up, it was late in the morning. It was Sunday and they were going to Hogsmeade after lunch, even though Hermione didn't know it yet. Draco had gotten special permission from Dumbledore.  
  
When Hermione opened her eyes, she could feel Draco moving beneath her and she smiled. He was obviously awake but must've been enjoying her laying on him, because hadn't pushed her off yet. "Morning," she mumbled, letting him know that she was awake.  
  
"Good morning," he replied. She began to stand up but he protested. "Why are you getting up? Stay here. I'm comfortable."  
  
She giggled but continued to stand up. "I know but it's eleven o'clock. We are wasting the day. I want to go shower, then go to lunch. Then, I have so much homework to catch up on from when I was in the Hospital Wing and..."  
  
"Do you have time to go to Hogsmeade?" he asked, following her into her room.  
  
"Why would you ask that? It's not a Hogsmeade trip today," she replied distractedly while searching for an outfit for the day.  
  
"Because we need to get decorations for the Graduation Ball so Dumbledore said you and I could got to Hogsmeade together, being Head Boy and Girl and all that. It is our privilege."  
  
"What Graduation Ball?"  
  
"I thought it would be a good idea for the seventh years to have their own little going away ball right after we graduate." He saw her face light up at the idea.  
  
"Oh Draco, that's wonderful! Why didn't I think of that? You are a genius! The seventh years will love it!" she said, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Let me shower and get ready. Then we'll go to Hogsmeade and eat lunch there."  
  
"Okay, but hurry, 'cause I'm hungry," he said, heading to his own room to get ready.  
  
One half hour later, they set off for Hogsmeade. Once she was sure no one was around to see, Hermione entwined her fingers with his and squeezed his hand lovingly. "So how long do we have before the ball? I've lost all track of time lately. I don't even know what month it is."  
  
He laughed. "We graduate in two weeks and the ball is that eve." He saw the panic in her face. "Don't worry. We can handle planning a ball. I've already got most of the preparations being taken care of by the sixth year prefects. All we need to do is announce it to the seventh years, pick out a theme, get the decorations and find a place to have it I even though it's a bit last minute. I think we could rent out a room in the Eiffel Tower. It's a lovely restaurant in Hogsmeade. Usually one only goes there for occasions such as weddings but it would be perfect for the ball. Don't worry. With your smarts and creativity and my planning skills, this ball will be the hit of the century." She smiled at him and stopped walking. Her arms wrapped around him, embracing him in a hug.  
  
"You're amazing," she said into his shoulder. "How can you do it? How can you just say a few words and suddenly calm me down. Your smile makes me peaceful. How do you do it?"  
  
He kissed her lovingly and held her close, "I do not know, but I could ask you the same question. I love you dearly, maybe that is how you bring me peace, through your love. You're my angel. I would die if anything were to over happen to you."  
  
They continued walking to their destination in silence, for no words were needed in order to show how much they loved one another. They already knew.  
  
The day went well for the two. They ate lunch at the Three Broomsticks and then bought loads of decorations. They decided that the theme of the dance would be magical Paris considering the restaurant would be the Eiffel Tower, and everyone would dress in muggle attire. They booked the hall in the restaurant from eight o'clock until one in the morning. That would make for a lovely evening. Then, everyone would have a choice of staying in a Hogsmeade Inn for the rest of the night or going back to Hogwarts. There would not be a curfew that evening.   
  
After this was all planned, Hermione sent Draco off on his own for an hour or so while she bought her gown. She wanted to surprise him so he couldn't be with her while she shopped for it.   
  
While he was sent away, he bought himself a tuxedo and made arrangements at an inn for after the ball. He paid for a carriage to pick them up at one a.m. and then, drive them to the inn.  
  
He and Hermione met up a while later and walked back to school. They were both very excited for the ball until it hit Hermione like a ton of bricks. "Draco," she said worriedly. "Who do we go with? We can't very well go together. Then the Death Eaters will know and that wouldn't be good, right?"  
  
He stopped walking and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I didn't even think of it." They both just stood there for a while, before he came up with a way that they could be together at the ball. "We could make it a masked ball! No one will know who anyone is and you're not allowed to take off your mask!"  
  
"But then... how could WE be together?"  
  
"Sweetheart, do you honestly believe I wouldn't be able to tell it was you just by looking into your eyes?" He kissed her cheek and they kept walking hand in hand. When they reached the school, they split up, so no one would see them together.  
  
Hermione headed up to the Gryffindor Common Room to see Harry and Ron. As soon as she entered, a swarm of seventh years surrounded her, asking her questions about the ball. "All of your questions will be answered by the Head of House!" she shouted, praying that they would soon leave her alone. "Ask Professor McGongall. No definite decisions have been made as of yet except that there will in fact be an actual ball. Now leave me be! I have my own business to attend to." She pushed her way past and saw her two best friends sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace.  
  
"Hey you two," she greeted them, kissing them both on the cheek. "I haven't seen you two since before the game yesterday. Are you doing all right? I hope your ego's aren't TOO bruised after that."  
  
Harry laughed. "No, we're okay. I think that if we could survive Voldemort, we can survive losing." Ron looked at him with wide eyes.  
  
"LOSING? Yes, we may be able to accept losing, but losing to SLYTHERINS?!? That's just down right upsetting. We lost the house cup, Harry. We were so close, too. We were tied up in the game up until Malfoy caught the bloody snitch."  
  
Hermione just giggled. "I'll never understand you guys and your passion for riding a broom which is typically used for cleaning in the muggle world, and playing a game of catch in the air. I don't think I could ever play Quidditch. Not that I despise it, but I still don't care for it either."  
  
Ron hugged his friend tightly. "You'll never change, 'Mione. I love you so much for that. You're so predicatable. Will you do me a favor?"  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"Don't ever change." She nodded her head and they stayed in their embrace until Parvati came in and yelled at him in jealousy. Hemione quickly backed away, not wanting to get in the middle of it when clearly, she already was. She was slightly disturbed by the accusations Ron's girlfriend was making. Rude curse words were being shouted at her and she didn't like it very much but she kept her mouth shut, not wanting Ron to be angry with her later for retaliating against the woman he claimed to love. To Hermione's surprise, and Parvati's as well, Ron began to defend her and their friendship.  
  
"Listen to me, Parvati!" he shouted. "Hermione's is my best friend. It's been that way for almost seven years. Nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING, is worth losing her friendship over. I love you, but she's my best friend. You can't ask me to choose between you two because it would prove to be a very awkward situation for us both. She has saved my life time and time gain, led the wizarding world into a victory against he-who-must-not-be-named, sat paralyzed in St. Mungo's for months on her own and still she is here, standing before you and taking all of your crap. I'm sorry, sweetie, but nobody insults my best friend." He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Now, why don't you apologize to 'Mione and you and I will take a walk around the school, hand in hand. It's a lovely day for a walk. Please?"  
  
Parvati looked from Hermione to Ron and then back to Hermione with daggers in her eyes. "I... I'm sorry. I guess I overreacted just a bit." She quickly took Ron's hand and dragged him away as fast as possible.  
  
Hermione sat down and began talking to Harry. "So Harry, how have you been? How's that girl you were dating... what's her name again? I'm sorry. I seem to have forgotten."  
  
"Her name was Darla, but we split up. She was very... I guess you could call her very immature. It just seemed to me like she was always wrapped up in her own little world, never caring about anything that happened in mine. And she wore so much make-up, I once thought she was a clown!"  
  
They both began laughing hysterically until Neville came and sat down in the chair right across from them. "What's so funny?" he asked.  
  
"Oh it's nothing really," Hermione answered. "So Neville, how's Luna? Are you two okay?"  
  
"Well... not really. You see, she had this crazy idea that Trevor was actually Prince Charming and that if she kissed him, he wouldn't be a toad any longer."   
  
Hermione was confused. "So you broke up with her merely because she was a little too into fairy tales? That's not very nice."  
  
"No! I didn't break up with her! SHE dumped ME! You see, it turns out that Trevor really WAS Prince Charming and after she kissed him, he turned into the handsome prince and they're in love now."   
  
"Oh... I'm sorry Neville. That's tough," Harry replied. "But hey, at least you're not the only in the school that just ended their relationship. Darla and I just broke up last week."  
  
"Yeah, Ron told me. I'm sorry, Harry, but she wasn't right for you anyway. You need a more mature woman. NOT a sixth year superficial blonde. No offense of course."  
  
They were both shocked by Neville's boldness. Was this not the same Neville who cowered at the mere sound of Professor Snape's voice? When did he become so outspoken. "Neville, if you don't mind me asking," Hermione began, "When did you get so bold?"  
  
"You mean, when did I grow a spine?" She nodded. "Seamus did a confidence spell so I could say what I wanted if wanted to say it or I could do a potion without being so afraid of messing it up so that way Snape couldn't take off as many house points all the time for my lack of confidence."  
  
"Good idea, Neville. Brilliant!" Hermione said, applauding his intelligence.   
  
After speaking with them for a while, it was late and time for Hermione to go spend some time with Draco before bed. She gave the boys a hug and then left to go to the Head Tower. When she got there, she found Draco standing on the balcony, gazing at the stars. It was late at night so the sky was pitch black and all of the stars were visible.  
  
She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his shoulder blade. That was as high as she could reach considering how tall he had become. "What are you thinking about?" she asked   
  
He spun her around so she was now in his arms. "You," he replied with a hint of sadness in his voice.   
  
"What's wrong?" she questioned, noticing how his eyebrows were furrowed, making him appear afraid.  
  
"Hermione, I need you to do me something. Promise me something."  
  
"Last time you made a promise, you never followed it. Why would I?"  
  
"Because this is very important to me, 'Mi. This is crucial. I need you to stay away from any battle to come. You can't become an auror and you can't work in the Order. You'd be their main target."  
  
"Baby, has someone sent you more nightmares?" she asked with a smile, as if she had found out what might be the cause of his worry but she was wrong.  
  
"Potter isn't who they would want anymore! The only reason, the one and only reason, he was ever significant to them was because of that damned prophecy. Now that prophecy has been fulfilled and a new one has come. Hermione, I AM the Dark Lord and I WILL fall. I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, EVER, you will let it be. I need you to do this for me, 'Mi. I need to know that if I died, you would keep on living. Never go looking for trouble."  
  
"I usually don't go looking for trouble. Trouble always finds ME," she replied glumly.  
  
"Whichever way you put it, try as hard as you can to stay away from trouble. I'm serious, Hermione. Just stay away from any battles you see or hear about. I told them you were off limits, that they were not allowed to go after you but the thing is, if you attacked them, they would bring you to me. When they bring you to me, I may not be the same as I am right now. I may be evil and cruel, like Voldemort and Slytherin. That is what I become when I am near the Death Eaters. They take over my body and I will not be able to control them. I fear that I would kill you if they thought that you were a danger to the dark side. I can't have that happening. But I need to know that when I'm gone, you will stay away from them. They will kill you, make no mistake about it. "  
  
"But someone will kill you, won't they?"  
  
"Yes, my equal."  
  
"Then why can't I ask the same thing of you? I want you to stay away from all of the battles. They will kill you and I can't bare to see that happen!"  
  
"IT IS INEVITABLE!" he shouted.  
  
They stayed there in silence for a while, neither one pleased with the others responses. "Draco... do you know who your equal is?"  
  
He rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed. "I have a good idea."  
  
"Who do you think it is?"  
  
He backed away from where they were standing and headed back into the common room, sitting on one of the large chairs and kicked his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. When he spoke, his words were quiet. "I don't want to say it. I'm afraid then it will come true."  
  
She sat down on his lap, burying her face in his shoulder. "You can't leave me!" she cried out.   
  
He wanted to tell her that would never happen and that he would always be there for her, but he couldn't stand to lie to her. He knew that one day, his life would come to an end and she would be alone again. "Look at me," he ordered her. She looked into his beautiful gray eyes and smiled. He smiled as well. "Even if I am killed, sweetheart, I will never leave you. I'll be watching over you from wherever the Gods decide I belong. I will be with you in your heart and in your soul. Love never dies."  
  
They fell asleep in the chair but neither one could say that they really slept. Thoughts of the future plagued their minds. When they both woke up, it was time for school.  
  
The next weekend was a Hogsmeade trip so everyone could buy their outfits for the ball, but Hermione and Draco stayed back, because they had already been there the week before. The school was practically empty so Hermione and Draco took this as their chance to spend a day outside the confines of the Head Tower. They decided to go to the lake and spend the day with their feet in the water.  
  
Hermione sat in front of him, her back resting against his chest and his legs were on either side of her. They didn't say anything to each other, knowing that they both had a lot on their minds. In two days, they would be taking the N.E.W.T.S. and she was terrified. He was more concerned with the attack that they were going to make during the ball.   
  
They were so wrapped up in their own thoughts that they didn't even notice a mermaid flopping around in the water, trying to get their attention.  
  
"HELLO!" the mermaid shouted.   
  
Hermione and Draco both snapped out of their daze and stared at the woman in shock. Hermione was the first to respond. "Hello," she said. "Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Elizabeth. I live in this lake. Who are you?"  
  
"I am Draco Malfoy, and this is Hermione Granger. We are seventh year students here at Hogwarts. We are also the Head Boy and Girl."  
  
"Figures," Elizabeth responded. "The Head Boy and Girl always fall in love. It's like Dumbledore just knows who should end up together. You two look very much in love. It's weird though. I've heard of both of you. Malfoy..." She said his name as if trying to figure out where she had heard of it. "Ah yes! I know who you are." She bowed her head in respect to the DarkLord. "But wait... that's weird. She's a muggle born. How could you love a mudblood?"  
  
Hermione winced at hearing these words. 'Even mer-people can be prejudice?!?' she thought to herself.  
  
"I will do as I please," Draco said. "And you will do well not to tell anyone what you have seen here today or this lake will dry up quicker than you can say mudblood. Understood?"  
  
Elizabeth backed away in fear for her precious lake. She nodded her head and swam off, 'unintentionally' splashing them with water when she flipped her fins back and forth.   
  
"Don't dwell on the opinions of others," Draco told his fiancé. "They do not know anything beyond bloodlines and hatred. Prejudice makes others blind to the truth about people. They hate you merely because you are not a pureblood and your beloved friends hate me merely because I am a Malfoy."  
  
"No. They don't hate you MERELY because you are a Malfoy. They think you're a death eater as well."  
  
"That's because I'm a Malfoy. My name entitles me to certain obligations. Being a follower of the dark arts is synonymous with being a Malfoy; therefore, they hate me merely because I am a Malfoy."  
  
"I guess that makes sense." She rested her head back against his chest and they retreated back to their own thoughts. At one point, Hermione literally made herself sick over worrying about the exams and thinking about bloodlines that she threw up in the bushes.   
  
"Let's get you upstairs," Draco suggested. "We'll take a walk around the lake, then we'll go in. Okay?"  
  
She stood up in agreement. They walked silently, hand in hand, around the entire lake. Draco knew many creatures would watch them if they walked around holding hands so he placed a disillusionment charm on himself so no one would recognize him besides Hermione.  
  
They went back inside the school and headed up to their room. They spent the rest of the day playing wizards chess and laughing at how bad they both were.   
  
But in truth, Hermione never took her mind off of the days occurrences. The mermaid had stated the obvious, that was for sure, but it stung Hermione more than she would've expected. Hermione was strong and thought that insults could not hurt her. 'Sticks and stones...' But the fact was that Elizabeth had just pointed it out and Hermione was blown away. No one ever ceased to amaze her with their rudeness and comments.  
  
The worst part of it all was that Hermione knew she was right. Hermione was a muggle born, dirty blood ran through her veins. Draco was a pure blood and his bloodline was untainted. These two didn't mix. To add further to their differences, he was the Dark Lord and she fought for the light. It was an odd combination and for the first time, Hermione realized it.   
  
She had always just put it out of her mind before, knowing that the fact that he was the Dark Lord did not affect his love for her in any way shape or form. But now... now everything changed inside her. He was exactly what she was supposed to hate and the same went for him. They were enemies by blood and she knew that it wouldn't last long, so long as he was still the Dark Lord.  
  
She tried to act normal but he could see through her in an instant. He saw her making horrid plays in chess and knew that even SHE couldn't be that bad at the game. "Hermione? What are you thinking about? Because it surely can't be the game."  
  
She only smiled. "I was just thinking about the ball," she lied.  
  
"You're a horrid liar, pet. Now please tell me the truth," he begged.  
  
She only stood up from her seat and walked over to the balcony, where they had stood not too long ago. "I've been wondering about the future. I can't help the feeling that it doesn't look good for us. I've been trying so hard to just let things work themselves out," she said, allowing her voice to strain while tears rolled down her cheeks. "But it's not working. Nothing's working out the way it should. You had to threaten someone today to keep our love a secret! That should never have to happen! I love you, but I don't love fearing the next day to come. Why should I fear tomorrow? Why must I dread the day you leave." A song popped into her mind then that she had once seen in a Muggle movie. The move was called Moulin Rouge and the song was Fly Away. "Why live life from dream to dream, and dread the day when dreaming ends?"   
  
Draco took her hands in his and kissed each one of them. "You never cease to amaze me. I love you so much and I don't blame you for fearing tomorrow. It's a scary thought, but things will happen anyway, whether we are together or not. Do not fear us, though. Death eaters, they are to be feared. War, it is to be feared. But us, together, we will bring each other the peace we need in order to survive. Can't you just trust what we have?"  
  
She backed away from him, knowing that all he wanted to do was kiss her, but she felt that if he did, they would drop the discussion and she didn't want that. "I don't know anymore, Draco. I love you but I just don't know anymore. I don't know if love is all we need. I don't know if love will keep us together. Things just make no sense. When will it all get better? We can't even leave the room, for Merlin's sake! We have to sit up here and hide our love. The only way we can be in public together is at a MASKED BALL for crying out loud!"  
  
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her almost forcefully, trying to remind her of their love and how good they could make each other feel. When he pulled away, she was smiling. "It will get better after school ends. I promise you." He knew that no matter what happened, graduation night would change everything. Either he would be dead, or he would no longer be the Dark Lord. He preferred the latter, but knew it was impossible. Either way, things were going to change.  
  
"Don't lie to me, Draco," she said exhaustedly. "Don't lie."  
  
He didn't know what to say to give her the assurance that she needed so instead he just picked her up from where she stood and brought her to her own bed. "Sleep. Let the night wash your fears away. In the morning, I will be here for you. But sleep now."  
  
He tucked her in and then left, going down to the common room to do some light reading. He wasn't tired in the least.   
  
While he was reading, there was a knock on the door. Draco opened it with a flick of his hand and saw Blaise Zambini standing right in the doorway. Draco merely continued reading his book, hoping Zambini would get the hint that he was busy and just leave, but it was no use. Blaise obviously wanted to talk.  
  
"What are you here for, Zambini? I'm not in the mood to talk," he said with boredom evident in his voice.  
  
"My Lord, we haven't seen much of you lately and many of us were questioning if you were still ill. How are you feeling?"  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm fine. You can go now."  
  
"We were also wondering what brought about the idea for a graduation ball?"  
  
"Well I was talking to Granger during our patrolling duties and she mentioned this muggle tradition called the prom. It's an end of the year dance for students in their final year of schooling. I thought it sounded interesting so I decided we should have one. She suggested that it be a Masked Ball to give it a more magical effect and I agreed."  
  
"How is it, working with her?"  
  
"I hate her, she hates me. What more do you want me to say?"  
  
"Is there a lot of fighting? Do you often get into verbal spars?"  
  
"You know me. Can't resist a good fight," he joked, knowing that he had no problem lying to the man seated before him. Zambini was an evil, cruel man that Draco loathed and despised. He had half a mind to kill him right there on principal but the other half stopped him.  
  
"Well, that's good to hear. As long as she's not affecting you... and as long as she's not the reason you've missed the past five Death Eater meetings..."  
  
"Why would you think that?"  
  
"Never know with you." Zambini walked around the room and looked into the fire. "So... are you coming to the one tomorrow?"  
  
"Remind me again why we have meetings so often?"  
  
"We're planning strategies. At the last meeting, someone suggested that we strike at the ball..."  
  
"NO!" Draco screamed, knowing that if they did, it would ruin his other plans. "Too many teachers around."  
  
"That is the point, my lord. We want to send them a message. Hit them hard, hit them fast, and hit them when they least expect it. Besides, this way we're already in masks so it would be easier to hide our faces so no one will have to worry about being found out."  
  
"Let me think about it. Right now, I feel your plan if foolhardy and too risky. I want to analyze every possible outcome before I make my decision."  
  
"Yes, My Lord. As you wish, but I warn you now that if you decide not to attack, you will have many upset death eaters."  
  
"Is that a threat?" Draco asked with anger. "Because if it is, then I will be forced to find these upset death eaters, and torture them 'til their very last breath. Make sure they know that before they come to me waving their fists and ready to start a fight."  
  
Zambini nodded his head in understanding and then left. The moment he was gone, Hermione appeared in the doorway of her bedroom. Draco looked up at her and frowned. She had heard everything.  
  
"Must everything come down to torture? Surely there are better ways to settle everything rather than violence," she said, knowing it wouldn't effect him in any way other than to make him aware of her feelings towards war.  
  
"Torture and death are the only thing that these men understand, my love. You must see that they cannot comprehend simple things such as love. All they comprehend is killing and blood, and they don't even see the truth about both. They think of killing as fun and they think of blood as either dirty or pure. To them there is no in between and there's no way that one with 'dirty' blood can be beautiful. I cannot get anything through to them without threatening their own lives."  
  
"Have you killed any of them, yet? I mean, I know you killed Professor McGonagall," she said quietly, walking down the stairs to where he sat on the couch. "But have you killed any others besides her?"  
  
Draco stood up and looked deep into her eyes, praying she would understand. "It was not what I wanted. I didn't do it willingly. I was overcome by hatred and evil. I could feel someone lifting my arm with my wand in hand, and I tried to force it down. I really did. But it was no use. The next thing I knew, a nameless death eater was lying at my feet. Apparently, he insulted me and called me a traitor and that is why I killed him, but I still do not see a reason."  
  
Hermione choked back tears and took a step away from her love. She covered her mouth with her hands, trying to muffle her sobs.  
  
"Mi, please. Just listen to me." He took a step forward and reached out a hand to touch her but she backed away.   
  
"No," she whispered. "I... I... I'm scared of you right now. I don't know if I can trust you and that scares me."  
  
"But Mi, I've never harmed you. NEVER!"  
  
"That says nothing about what you CAN or MIGHT or even WILL do in the future. EVIL resides in you, Draco. You can't get it out of you. It's like a plague, consuming your whole body bit by bit. It's only a matter of time before you can't hold it back any longer, and I don't want to be around to see that happen."  
  
"Baby, listen to me," he pleaded, stepping towards her again, but she ran to the opposite end of the room, putting a considerable amount of distance between them. "Hermione, YOU are the reason it hasn't consumed me yet. YOU are the reason I'm still good. YOU will be the reason I make sure no deaths are made in my presence. I love you. Can't you see that? You make me a better man..."  
  
"That's not saying much," she interrupted him. "It's easy to make a killer a better man. All you have to do is have them kill less people. That doesn't mean they'll stop killing all together, just that they'll kill less often."  
  
"I AM NOT A KILLER!" he raged, hoping she would stop saying that he was.  
  
"YES YOU ARE! YOU'VE KILLED, DRACO! You killed McGonagall and you killed a man who you didn't even know. YOU KILLED THEM! THAT MAKES YOU A KILLER!"  
  
"NO IT DOESN'T! A killer has a choice. I DIDN'T!"  
  
"Maybe you had no choice when it came to McGonagall, but the man who merely insulted you, you had a ..."  
  
"I explained that to you. I couldn't stop it. I tried so hard but I couldn't. If you don't want to believe me, FINE, but I refuse to sit here and listen to you insult me."  
  
"Then I'll make it easier for you. I'll leave." She ran up to her room as quick as she could before he had a chance to stop her.   
  
Not that he would at that point. She had said some really hurtful things and he was extremely angry with her. He went to his room and sat on the edge of his bed, but he was restless so he stood up once more, pacing back and forth. He was so upset by the nights events that he punched a hole in his wall. His hand began to bleed but he was numb to the pain.  
  
Hermione was sitting on her bed crying when she heard a loud bang. She ran through their adjoining bathroom and into his room without so much as knocking.  
  
There he was, sitting on his bed, staring coldly at the fire that he had started in his fireplace. His hand was dripping blood and there was a hole in his wall. She sat beside him and ripped off a piece of her knee length skirt. She expertly wrapped it around his hand. When she was done with wrapping it up, she kissed it.  
  
"Forgive me. I do not know what I was thinking. I guess I was just scared of what's to come. I do not question that it was not your choice or that you love me. Please forgive me."  
  
He did not turn to face her, not knowing what to say. She took this as a sign that he was not ready to forgive and was about to leave but then she looked at his face. His expression has become gentler and friendlier.   
  
"I love you," she whispered into his ear. She kissed the back of his neck and saw him smile. "Talk to me," she said to him, hoping to break his silence.  
  
He turned t o face her and thy both just looked into one another's eyes. "You're beautiful," he said to her. "I couldn't imagine my life without you."  
  
"Are you ready to go to sleep?" she asked while stifling a yawn. "It's been far too long of a day."  
  
"You can say that again," he said with a laugh. They laid back in the bed and fell fast asleep, for once ignoring everything that was worrying them.   
  
A/N... Okay so here's another chapter. I hope you liked it. I think it was the longest chapter I've written so far. I was up late last night, trying to get it typed up. My sister was watching Moulin Rouge while I was writing it, so I had to add a line in there.   
  
Please go and review. I didn't get that many responses last time and I was kind of disappointed. Please go and review this time.  
  
Thanks to all of you who DID review. I love you guys so much. You guys rock. I hope you guys are liking this story and where it's heading.  
  
I don't know how much longer it's going to be but I'm guessing a few more chapters. Keep reading and I'll try not to disappoint.  
  
By the way, in case you were wondering, I got A's on all of those tests and papers that I had, the ones that were keeping me from updating. YAY FOR ME! Hehehe... okay... so now go review! 


	14. All Good Things Must Come To An End

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Once again, this saddens me but I'll get over it.  
  
Chapter 14: All Good Things Must Come to an End  
  
The day of Graduation came quickly. Hermione and Draco got up early to go over their speech. The ceremony was at ten thirty in the morning. This way, they had plenty of time afterwards to get ready for the ball.   
  
They got into their school robes for the last time, the only thing separating them from any other day were the caps they wore on their heads. They appeared to be dunce caps but in truth, they were the graduation caps that every Hogwarts student wore on this important day.  
  
Hermione sat in the common room, going over the speech but Draco didn't seem to be paying attention. "Draco? Are you listening to me?"  
  
"What? Oh, yeah... I'm listening," he lied. His thoughts were busy on the events that would happen later that evening.   
  
When they went down to the great Hall, the seats were filled with parents who had come to watch their children graduate. Neither Hermione nor Draco had a person there for them, but it didn't matter to either of them. They had each other there and he was all that she needed (and vice versa.)  
  
When it was time to read their speech, Hermione was neither nervous nor excited. She stood up and began speaking from the heart, not even bothering to read from the paper.  
  
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Hermione Granger and this," she motioned towards the platinum blonde haired boy standing beside her. "Is Draco Malfoy. We were the Head students this year. If you know anything about us, you are probably wondering how we survived living together. For those of you who don't know us, I'll sum our relationship up for you. We were enemies. We have fought and bickered at every change we got. He teased me and I mocked him and we both loathed each other.  
  
But the war changed that for us. WE both wound up in St. Mungo's in critical condition. I was paralyzed and he was in a coma. When he woke up, we began to speak and become civil. Then we were brought back to Hogwarts and made the mistake of listening to our friends who were telling us we were too different and that we should be enemies. So we started over again once more with the fighting and name-calling. But then, something happened. We were forced into spending more time together and we stopped hating each other for the second time."  
  
They were standing behind a podium so Draco was able to hold her hand without anyone noticing. He squeezed it lovingly and began to talk. "I wouldn't say that we are friends now but enemies... we aren't enemies any longer. You see, there were three reasons for me hating her. One, she was a Gryffindor and I was a Slytherin. The two houses despise each other. Two, she was a muggle born and I was taught that they were inferior to me. And three, she was better than me at everything which meant that reason number two couldn't be true about her because she was superior to me."  
  
"I wouldn't go that far."  
  
"She's modest as well," he said with a smirk. "Anyway, I hope that people learn from us. Don't make the same mistake that we did. I missed out on knowing a nice person for so many years and it was almost too late."  
  
"Moving on..." she hinted for Draco to get on with the rest of the speech as soon as she felt the tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"Moving on from inter-house relations," he said, catching her drift, "We'd like to discuss the significance of our graduating class. Our class helped bring down the Dark Lord in a battle that will be remembered forever as the greatest war in all of history. We have the Boy-Who-Lived in our year. We have the smartest witch to ever come to Hogwarts in our year. In our fifth year, we had a crazy lady replace our headmaster and watched as the Weasley twins brought a swamp in the school. In fourth year, we had the triwizard tournament and lost Cedric Diggory. In third year, an accused murderer escaped from Azkaban and the Dementors began to practically LIVE at the school, scaring everyone, mostly Potter, out of their minds," he said looking at Harry who was laughing along with it. "And also that year, we had a D.A.D.A. teacher that was actually a werewolf. Then, in second year, muggle borns kept getting attacked and the Chamber of Secrets was opened and our D.A.D.A. teacher was a fraud. Oh and let's not forget in first year, we had an evil Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that Potter saved us from who actually carried around the Dark Lord on the back of his head. All in all, this class has been through a lot together."  
  
"Good recapping, Draco," Hermione said with a smile. "But you failed to mention how you were attacked by a hippogriff back in third year and then you tried to get him executed."  
  
"I tried to block that out," he admitted. "The point is..."  
  
"Yes, the point is that our class is 'special.' We're talented and we're going places. The Wizarding Community expects great things from the class, considering all that we've been through. Now don't go getting intimidated 'cause I know that the future is scary, but trust me, you'll do great. I know each and every one of you will go out there and make a good name for yourself. The thing is..." she said, getting a little more serious. "The thing is that NO ONE and I do mean NO ONE, ever expected us to come this far. With everything we've been through, we should be dead or in a mental institute, trying to recover from the emotional scars. But look around you. What do you see? With everything that's happened, I'm surprised we're all still here. But even though I'm surprised, I'm not totally blown away. You guys are the greatest witches and wizards that Hogwarts has ever seen. Never doubt that. This class, our graduating class, we've been through so much together."  
  
"You can say that again," Draco joked.  
  
"We've been through so much together," she replied with a smirk that she had picked up from Draco.  
  
"Granger, I was joking."  
  
"I know but I couldn't resist. They both laughed but he rolled his eyes in the meanwhile and then continued on.  
  
"This year was one of the toughest years. I myself struggled through it."  
  
"Yes, well, we did have a lot on our plates. We had the N.E.W.T.S. and we had the loss of one of the greatest Professors ever." A silent tear strode down her cheek but she urged herself to finish what she had started. "I'd like to dedicate the statue that you will find in the Gryffindor Common Room, to Professor Minerva McGonagall. It's a statue of her and we put it there to show our appreciation to everything that she's done. I'd also like to dedicate this entire ceremony to her. She was a great professor, a great witch, a wonderful woman, and a fabulous role model. I hope I become just like her. Every day, she is missed and I wish so badly that she was here to hand us our diplomas... but we can't get everything we wish for now can we?" Draco gave her a nudge in the shoulder as if to say 'Stop it. You don't need to make yourself depressed on the last day here.' She smiled warmly at him, wishing so badly to just reach up and kiss him for knowing her so well.  
  
Draco saw this inner turmoil in her and decided to wrap it up. "Before we sit down, we'd like to leave you with this one saying. Live every moment as though it was your last. You never know when it actually will be."  
  
He sat down and she followed soon after, letting their hands drop to their sides.   
  
Now it was time for Dumbledore's speech, which was considerably shorter. "In years past, I have always loved my students and cared for them as though they were my own children. But this year, I feel a special connection with you all. You will always hold a special place in place in my heart and I love you all more than any students I have ever taught. Thank you for being so great." With a swoosh of his hand, a diploma fell into everyone's lap. "Usually, the diplomas are given to you by Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, but Professor Snape has requested that they are given to you via magic, because the pain is still too near. Now, I am sure you will go off and make Hogwarts proud. Now, you may all go to the Great Hall for lunch."  
  
Hermione beamed with pride as she as she walked down to where Harry and Ron were. They began walking all together, Hermione in the middle. Harry and Ron took turns giving her a kiss on the cheek to congratulate her. She looked over to where Draco stood, talking with Blaise and his parents, and saw him go red with anger. She knew how possessive he was but she couldn't help but to smile. He was such a jealous boyfriend. Ron ran off and found Parvati and his parents while Hermione linked arms with Harry.  
  
"I'm glad I have you, Harry. This way I'm not the only one without anyone here to see them graduate. We'll stick together, right? Even after school? We'll still see each other, won't we?"  
  
Harry smiled and faced her. "Of course, 'Mione. I could never live without seeing you all the time. You're one of my two best friends."  
  
They embraced and soon, Hermione began to notice that her stomach was making odd noises. "Um... Harry, do you want to go and get something to eat with m? I was so nervous this morning that I could've even THINK about food."  
  
They walked to the Great Hall and found ALL of the Weasley's standing around with Parvati attached to Ron's arms. "Hey you guys," Hermione said.   
  
"Hermione, that speech was excellent!" Fred exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah," George agreed. "You almost had US fooled, thinking you actually didn't hate Malfoy. You should win an Oscar!"  
  
She laughed but inside, it wasn't funny to her. She knew she had them fooled alright, but it was the opposite was around. They thought that she still hated him but in reality, it was the exact opposite. "Thanks you guys!" she forced herself to reply.   
  
They spent hours talking and eating. When all the parents left, it was four in the afternoon and every girl, besides Hermione, began to complain that they didn't have enough time to prepare. When Harry asked her why she wasn't running around and becoming frantic, he response was basically that the girls were forgetting that they could use magic to do their hair and make up as opposed to doing it the muggle way.  
  
Hermione and Draco had come up with a way to make sure no one recognized one another. They were placing disillusionment charms on the entire grade, along with the masks that would be magically glued on until the ball was over. Hermione loved the idea, thinking that it would make it more fun.  
  
As it came time for Hermione to go and begin to get ready, she hugged Harry tightly and whispered into his ear. "I know that something is going to happen tonight. I can feel it. Please do me this favor and don't go causing trouble. I couldn't handle losing ANYONE that is important to me." She kissed his cheek and walked away before Harry could say anything.  
  
When she got back to the Head Tower, she saw Draco sitting in a chair with his back towards her. He was reading a book. No sooner has she entered, before he was standing up and retreating to his room.  
  
"Draco, wait," she said quickly before he could get a chance to leave. "Where are you going? Are you mad at me?"  
  
He looked at her calmly. It scared her to find no emotion on his face. "I'm not mad but I'm not happy either. What were you doing with Potter and Weasel, letting them kiss you?"  
  
"ON THE CHEEK!" she screamed in her own defense. "THEY KISSED ME ON THE CHEEK!"  
  
"STILL! You know I don't like other people touching my things!"  
  
"Well it's a good thing I'm not yours then, isn't it?"  
  
"What do you mean by that? Of course you are mine! You're my girlfriend."  
  
"That doesn't mean that I'm yours. I love you but I'm not property."  
  
"You're mine, sweetheart. Just as I am yours."  
  
"As long as it works both ways," she said with a smile. She sauntered over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Now I have to go and get dressed. Shall we meet here in say one hour? I want to show you my outfit before we put the charms on ourselves."  
  
"Sounds good to me." He kissed her cheek, mostly just to annoy her and then he went back to his room to go and get ready on his own.  
  
She was mort than annoyed by the kiss on the cheek. He had just pointed out that she was his girlfriend, but then turned around and did something that only a friend would do? 'How dare he?' she thought, though she didn't let him know exactly how she felt.   
  
An hour later, she appeared in the common room and Draco's jaw dropped. She looked amazing. He dress was black and strapless. It had a low cut v-neck hugged her body, showing all of her curves. Her hair was left down and it appeared as though she had spent hours on it. It fell in ringlets down her back. She wore no makeup, only a lip-gloss. She hadn't put on her mask yet and he was thrilled to be able to see her before she put it on.   
  
Hermione stared at Draco in wonder. Who would have thought that a man who hated muggles so much would look so good in their clothes? He wore a black tuxedo, nothing fancy but still, he looked wonderful.   
  
"Woah," they both said simultaneously. They didn't bother saying anything else. They shared a kiss full of lust and passion and they each knew how badly they wanted one another. She pulled away after a few minutes with a sad face on.  
  
"We have to go. We have to place the disillusionment charm on all of the seventh years. The ball starts in fifteen minutes," she said.   
  
"Okay. Put your mask on and we'll be going." She followed his instructions and once again he was in awe of her beauty. Her mask was simple, only covering her eyes. It was attached by way of magic and nothing else, no strings attached. It was encrusted with diamonds circling around the eyes. Even with a mask on, she still looked like an angel. "How can you do it?"  
  
"Do what?" she asked innocently, really not knowing what he was asking.  
  
"How can you look so beautiful no matter what you do? Even with a mask, I can see that you are the most gorgeous woman alive. How is that possible? Masks are supposed to hide your appearance but even with yours on, I can still see your beauty."  
  
She blushed furiously, though her mask hid it. "You're just saying that," she replied modestly.  
  
"No, I'm not. I love you. Why would I lie to you? I'm telling you now that you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen. Just take the compliment and stop denying it."  
  
She hugged him and said, "Thank you, Draco. I love you so much." Finally, she was ready to go after she took one last look in the mirror. "We'd better get going." Draco took this as his time to put on his mask.  
  
"The ball can't start without us," he joked.  
  
In order to do the spell without any mistakes, they were to go around to each house common room while the seventh years were still in their rooms. Then, they would say the spell. They did so quickly, not wanting to waste any time. When they were finished, they left Hogwarts grounds and headed towards the carriages, watching everyone trying to find a place to sit while not knowing anyone.   
  
Then, they performed the spell on each other. When it was complete, they looked around as unfamiliar people hidden under masks hopped inside the beautiful carriages that Hermione had ordered special for the evening. They were shaped like pumpkins and were driven by ACTUAL horses, not invisible ones. It gave it a much more Cinderella feel.  
  
Hermione quickly walked into the crowd of swarming students so as to lose Draco and she succeeded.  
  
Draco stood in front of an empty carriage, turning around to search through the crowds. Somewhere out there was his fiancé, the woman he loved more than life itself and he was going to find her. Also out there were at least twenty Death Eaters that he planned on killing that evening and sometime soon, he would find them as well. He had talked to Potter and the D.A. and they had agreed to attack at eleven o'clock. Draco was to call the Death Eaters to a meeting at ten thirty at the Shrieking Shack. It was abandoned now. Then, they would discuss attacking the Ball. At eleven, the D.A. would show up and then a second war would start. He only prayed tat Hermione wouldn't get suspicious of the disappearance of so any of the students. At least a quarter of the students would be missing. He got on the carriage and waited impatiently for someone to join him but soon rested his eyes and went over how the evening could play out.  
  
Hermione searched through all of the carriages, searching for an empty one. She finally found one that had just one boy in it and he appeared to be sleeping. She didn't want to sit with anyone of the way there. She feared that the people she would wind up sitting with would either be her friends or death eaters. She didn't want to sit with her friends because she had this feeling like her friends were all keeping something from her and she certainly didn't want to sit with the evil Death Eaters. That left this one boy, who was sleeping so she didn't think he would bother her.  
  
She sat in the carriage and watched the boy sleep. The carriage suddenly began to move and he appeared to be awoken by the movement. He looked at her with curiosity in his eyes and she just smiled at him. "Hello," she said. "You must've been tired. I hope you enjoyed your nap. Do you feel rested enough for the ball now?"  
  
He smirked, knowing that the only person in the whole world that would be so kind to a stranger was the woman that he had fallen in love with. "I wasn't really sleeping," he replied. "I was just resting my eyes and thinking about the future." Her smile faded.  
  
"The future," she said, suddenly staring off into space. "Now that's a scary thought," she admitted, practically forgetting the presence of another in the carriage. She had never admitted just how scared she was of the future to anyone, even Draco. Now, she was opening up. "Terrifying," she whispered. Her hands began to shake and she got chills up and down her spine.  
  
Draco, though she didn't know it was him, stood up and sat down next to her, placing his arm around her shoulder. "There's nothing to be scared of," he said trying to comfort her. "The future may be unclear but I promise things will work themselves out."  
  
THAT was when she knew it was him. He took her shaking hands in his and kissed each finger one at a time. She smiled at him and ran her index finger along his mask. "You're amazing," she said to the masked man. "Please don't ever leave me," she pleaded.  
  
"I'm right here, not going anywhere." They both fell into a comfortable silence, though Draco's thoughts were far from comfortable. He was so scared. He knew there would be a battle and he was going to be fighting on the light side but he also knew how he got when he was around Death Eaters... evil. He was always consumed by hate when they were near and it was possible that he would fight for them that evening.  
  
When the carriage stopped, they were at the Eiffel Tower. Draco and Hermione got out and entered. There were tons of students already there and dancing with their friends. It seemed that a bunch of them had disregarded the charm and told each other their true identities, enabling them to find their friends, boyfriends, or girlfriends.   
  
Harry had asked her earlier to do so but she had said no. She wanted to meet new people, which of course was a lie, one that she hated to tell but it was necessary if she wanted to be with Draco without worrying about what others would say, think, or do.   
  
Hermione and Draco walked in hand in hand and everyone stared. They were the best looking people in the room, even without their identity being known. They walked out on the dance floor and began dancing to the music. It was muggle music that Draco had never heard of but if had been Hermione who booked the band.  
  
They danced for hours, enjoying the feel of one another's bodies against theirs. When Draco glanced at the time, it was ten twenty-nine, and he began t get frantic. He hadn't planned on how to leave her. He knew it was quite possible the last time he could see her so he decided to make his goodbye sweet yet simple and very unsuspicious. He didn't want Hermione to wonder where he was going. She, he took her hand and kissed it. Then, he let one of the many men who had been dying to cut in, to whisk her away. She was unpleased by this but figured Draco just didn't want to risk getting found out by any Death Eaters that had attended the ball.  
  
Draco walked away and towards the Shrieking Shack, summoning the Death Eaters to a meeting. Their scars burned and they knew that their master was calling them. This pleased Blaise for it was the first time Draco had used this power of his. All of the Death Eaters apparated to their master.  
  
Harry watched as a large amount of students disappeared from the ball and he nodded to Ron to begin to get ready. Ron, who had been dancing with Parvati, began to say his goodbye to her and searched the room for Hermione, though it was no use. She was wearing the disillusionment charm and he couldn't recognize her no matter how hard her tried.   
  
Draco watched as all of the Death Eaters appeared. He said a simple spell and the disillusionment charm was broken. Now he could recognize every single one of his followers. Draco saw many of them bow in respect and for a few seconds, he loved being the dark lord. So much power, respect, and...NO! H shook his head furiously, in an attempt to get the evil thoughts out of his head.  
  
"My Lord," Zambini said as he approached. "What is the meaning of this meeting, if I may ask?" he said cautiously, obviously not wanting for Draco to attack him.  
  
"It's a fair question," Draco responded. "I've been thinking a lot about the attack you told me about. You explained to me that many of you wanted to attack. All I can see is danger and a poorly thought out plan, which doesn't get you far in my book. This had been weighing heavily on my mind. I want an explanation to your stupidity. One of you shall now explain to me HOW you could be so daft as to plan to attack at Hogsmeade with the ministry of magic already watching over the ball, making sure now seventh year gets out of hand.  
  
Pansy stepped forwards and Draco laughed. Only she would ever step forward to admit she was an idiot. "Draco..."  
  
"Miss Parkinson, do not insult me with such an informal title."  
  
"My apologies, my Lord. You see, attacking the ball is in fact an excellent idea. Potter is rumored to be taking over as head of the Order beings Dumbledore has gotten too old. We should squash him before he has the chance."  
  
"Yes but at the ball? That'd be suicide!"  
  
"NO, My Lord!" Zambini said. "It wouldn't. They're in formal muggle wear. There's no pocket for a wand in a tux." Everyone laughed except for Draco who was growing angrier by the second. The problem was that he wasn't growing angry with anyone in particular. He was just getting angry. He could feel Voldemort and Slytherin breaking to the surface and it was becoming too hard to fight against. Zambini continued speaking. "We can attack them now, while they're unprepared and we can catch them off guard. They'd never know what hit them."  
  
"You're starting to make sense, Blaise," Draco admitted. "An attack actually would have been a great idea."  
  
"Would have been?" Pansy questioned. "The ball is still going on for another two hours!"  
  
"It WOULD have been but we cannot now. They are on their way."  
  
"WHO?"  
  
"Potter and his new army. I can hear their footsteps approaching. They'll be here in a matter of minutes. Get ready for battle."  
  
"My lord, we could hide behind bushes," a death eater suggested. "Attack them from behind."  
  
"Good but I want them to think we're here and attack the illusions first." He cast a spell that gave the illusion of a meeting still going on. "Now go and hid and be ready for them when they come." Everyone began to move and find their hiding spots except for Draco.  
  
"My Lord, will you not hide?" Blaise asked.  
  
"I need not hide, Blaise. If I die tonight, it won't be because I didn't hide in a bush. If I am going to die tonight, a bush won't make the difference. Now go! Hide!" Blaise reluctantly followed his orders.  
  
The D.A. assembled outside of the Eiffel Tower and began walking to the Shrieking Shack not saying a word. Harry led the way confidently but inside, he was terrified. He had never gone into battle without Hermione by his side or at least without consulting her first. In a way, he wished that she had discovered their little plan, not only because she could have pointed out all of its flaws, but also because she may have talked him out of it and right now, that sounded like a good thing. For all he knew, Malfoy was leading them into a trap.  
  
He was still having trouble digesting the information Malfoy had given them but they knew for the most part that he was right. Why would he make up that he and Hermione were dating? That's not a typical lie for a man who claims to hate muggle borns.  
  
But if Malfoy had really been truthful, then Harry's heart was broken. For years now, Harry had watched Hermione blossom into a beautiful young lady and now... she was taken? Harry was crushed. Not only that she was taken, but that she had never known his true feelings. He knew that if she had only been AWARE of how much he loved her, then there would have at least been a shot for them. He knew he could make her happy, but apparently Malfoy could as well. Of course, it helped that Malfoy had SHARED his feelings with her, as opposed to Harry's method of winning her heart (which was to keep his love for her bottled up inside until the day that she ever showed him any interest at all.) Now Harry felt as though it was too late. She was in love with someone else. How could she ever truly be his.  
  
They approached the hill that led up to the Shrieking shack and walked up quietly and quickly When they got to the top, Harry turned around and looked into all of the faces of the men and women that he would be fighting with.   
  
He whispered a speech to them, trying to be uplifting. "Listen here, all of you. I have been working with you all since fifth year and I commend you on all of your achievements. I feel better knowing that I am fighting with the best. But what lies beyond this hill is a scary vision. There are at least twenty death eaters from seventh years at Hogwarts ALONE. Take into account all of the Death Eaters that are already out of school and have been practicing magic since way before we were born. So let's say that there are at least fifty of them. There's forty of us. I know we can take them. We just have to believe in ourselves. Now I want you to go out there, and fight... not just for yourselves but for everyone in this world who had been told that they were inferior simply because of their blood. Fight for the existence of mankind and the freedom of magic. Fight for the world tonight."   
  
He wasn't sure if he had actually inspired them to do any better but he felt like he was speaking true words. They weren't fighting simply because they held a grudge against a specific group. They were fighting for muggle borns and their right to study magic freely. HE was fighting for Hermione, the girl he loved but would never tell. HE was fighting for the right to love her. And before that night was through, he wanted to make sure Malfoy had not survived. It was his only way of being able to be with her. Once Malfoy, the love of her life, was out of the picture, he could be there to comfort her. And after a while, he would tell her how he felt and she would feel the same for him... he hoped.  
  
Harry nodded for the D.A. to follow him and before any of them could really get a chance to say anything, Harry was charging a group of Death Eaters that were gathered around in a semi circle. He saw that they weren't really moving, or making much noise and couldn't help but to become confused. The D.A. was right behind him, but they were as perplexed as he was. The group stopped in their tracks as the real death eaters came out from behind bushes and circled around them. There were about fifty, as Harry had predicted.   
  
They all produced their wands and Harry gulped, knowing that many families would be crying tomorrow. He watched as one man pushed his way from the center of the circling death eaters. It was Malfoy.  
  
"Malfoy, you tricked us!" Harry shouted.  
  
Draco smirked. "Of course I did. Dark Lord... HELLO! Did you really expect me to try and fight for YOU?"  
  
"Why not? You fought in the war against Voldemort!"  
  
"That was different. Voldemort was an imbecile and coward. He hid behind his death eaters and I hated my father for ever cowering at his feet. I refused to do the same, so I fought against him. I loved seeing him fail. And then, killing my father was an added bonus. It just guaranteed me a spot as the Dark Lord. Now I have taken over that position and I am ready to kill you. Are you FINALLY ready to die, Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Stupid-Prat?"  
  
Harry glared at him with cold green eyes and nodded. The D.A. rose their wands and the battle began. Green and red sparks flew all over, hitting the first person to come in contact with them. Harry was aiming for Malfoy, but Draco was just too fast for him. Draco expertly dodged every hex thrown his way.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, Harry ceased his attacks on Draco for just a moment to see how many had fallen and how his side was doing. It wasn't good. Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchey were lying on the floor, dead. Susan Bones was backed into a corner but Harry stupefied her attacker and she continued to fight.  
  
Quickly, Harry turned his attention back to Malfoy who was just standing there cackling, apparently enjoying the idea of not really having to fight. He seemed as though he intended to just stand there and watch the scene unfold before him. Harry immediately pointed his wand in Draco's direction but it was no use. Draco once again avoided being hit thanks to his fast maneuvering skills.   
  
With one swift motion, Draco reached for his wand and produced it from the inside pocket of his robes. He ran towards Harry and in a matter of two seconds, had him in a head lock, unconscious. Once again, he reached inside his pocket, but this time, he produced a small dagger. He placed it on Harry's throat and hollered for everyone to watch him.  
  
"THIS IS YOUR LEADER! WATCH AS I SLIT HIS THROAT AND THEN I SHALL MOVE ON TO YOU!" He screamed. They all watched in horror as Malfoy prepared to slice through Harry's skin.  
  
"STOP!" a voice yelled. Draco stopped, along with everyone else who was still battling, and looked around to see who it was. He nearly fainted at the sight. There Hermione stood, gown and mask and all.   
  
A/N... okay so first of all... a few of you, in the last chapter actually picked up on when I had Hermione yell for the students to go and speak to McGonagall... great job. I was wondering who would pick up on that. I kind of wanted to display Hermione as a little on edge, a little nervous, her nerves are shot. When she screamed this, she was so flustered with the swarm of students surrounding her that she just got all confused and shouted out the first thing that came to her mind. I'm sorry if I confused you. I really didn't mean to and I realized as soon as I got your reviews that I probably should have added something about that in the story to explain. Sorry for making it that way.  
  
So what did you guys think of the cliff hanger. Harry could die? Hermione found a way to be in the battle? What's going to happen? I'm so excited to write the end it's not even funny. I love it so much.  
  
I'm contemplating writing a really sad ending. Do you guys like sad? I have one ending already written and I'm writing up an alternate ending. I'll decide depending on the reviews that I get. Right now, it could go either way.   
  
I make no guarantees on how many chapters are left. I kept trying to put a number on it but it just kept growing so I decided to stop predicting. I'll leave that to the people who actually are seers (like Trelawney even though she sucks at it. Hehehe... I can't wait til the third movie comes out. Seven days and counting!)  
  
PLEASE REVIEW! I love you guys so much. I look forward to your reviews. They're the best part of my day. If you have any questions, ask in your review. 


	15. A Shock to the System

Disclaimer: I don't own anything... whatever.  
  
Chapter 15: A Shock To The System  
  
"STOP!" a voice yelled. Draco stopped, along with everyone else who was still battling, and looked around to see who it was. He nearly fainted at the sight. There Hermione stood, gown and mask and all. It was one a.m. and the ball was over, so the disillusionment charm had been lifted. "Please don't hurt him," she begged with a strained voice. He checked her over once or twice to make sure she had not been hurt battling, but it appeared as though she had just stumbled upon the scene. "Please don't hurt him," she pleaded once more. "Draco, please. He's my best friend. Don't take him from me."  
  
His face contorted in anger. Would she chose Harry over him? Harry had attacked him first! Potter would have killed HIM if he could have! How dare she pick his side!  
  
"Draco, I can't lose him. And I can't lose you! If you kill him, you'll be lost to me. You know it and I know it. Please don't kill anyone. You're a good person inside, Draco. Prove me right!"  
  
"YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE!" he screamed at her. "YOU SHOULD BE AT THE BALL, WAITING FOR EVERYONE TO RETURN!" He hadn't checked the time yet.  
  
"THE BALL IS OVER!" she yelled back. "And how was I supposed to know that there was some WAR going on that I wasn't supposed to take part in? No one tells me anything anymore. I'm sure you think that just because I am a girl, that I cannot take care of myself. Is that what you think? Huh? Is it, Draco?"  
  
He gave her a look that said it all. He was furious with her but her being a girl had nothing to do with keeping this a secret.   
  
"Oh I get it," she said sarcastically. "You didn't want to risk losing me. That's it, right? Well it's a bit hypocritical of you, don't you think? YOU can go do battle but I cannot? What kind of garbage is that?"  
  
"Let's not turn this in to a lover's quarrel," he said to her warningly. "I will not display our disputes for everyone to hear."  
  
"WHY NOT? WE USED TO DO THAT ALL THE TIME, REMEMBER? BACK WHEN YOU HATED ME!"  
  
"That was then," he said, trying to be calm. "This is now. We have all grown a lot since then."  
  
She looked at him with questioning eyes. "Oh really? Then why do you have a dagger to Harry's neck? Why are you about to kill MY BEST FRIEND?"  
  
"HEY!" Ron shouted sounding offended, but immediately shut up, understanding that this was a bad time to say anything.  
  
"Listen," Hermione said to Draco, ignoring her redheaded friend. "If you kill Harry, be prepared for all of the consequences and I DO mean ALL of them. Be prepared to fully become the Dark Lord, a position which apparently you take seriously, and be prepared to lose me, though I'm beginning to wonder if that means anything to you anymore."  
  
"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" he asked with fire glowing in his eyes. "I LOVE YOU! This whole thing started out as a way for us to be able to be together!"  
  
"How can we be together if you kill my best friend? I don't get it. Explain it to me."  
  
"I was going to lead the death eaters into a trap and then the D.A. would show up and we'd all kill the death eaters and then I would be free to be with you but then..."  
  
"Then what? What happened?"  
  
A tear flowed down his cheek. "I don't know. I got angry. I let them take over. I know I shouldn't have but I did."  
  
"Well now that you know what you did was wrong, what are we going to do to fix it?" She put her hands on her hips, somewhat expectantly as if she knew what his answer would be. But she was wrong.  
  
"Kill Potter," he said with malice in his already cruel and evil voice. "I am going to kill Potter and you can sit there and watch, you little mudblood wench. And when I'm done with him, I'm going to come after you!"  
  
"You'll have to kill me first," she replied defiantly. "There's no way you're going to kill Harry with me right here, standing in front of you. If you want to kill him, you'll have to kill me first." She walked right up to him and took his hand that held the dagger to Harry's throat. She moved it to her neck instead. "If you're going to kill anyone, start with me."  
  
He looked at her and she saw emotions swirling around in his gray orbs. Anger. Malice. Pain. Sadness. She wished so badly that it did not have to come down to this. Why couldn't they just stay in their own little common room and talk all night like they usually did? Why did they even throw a ball to begin with? This just wound up costing her her own life.  
  
He pushed the dagger closer to her throat, just to scare her basically. He choked back tears as he said, "Don't think I won't do it."  
  
She was more confident now, sure of what she was saying. "I don't doubt that you will. So do it. Take the bloody dagger and drag it across my throat, then forget all about me. But do me a favor... Don't come to my funeral. Don't place flowers on my grave. Don't watch as they bury me in a hole six foot deep and don't cry for me. You've lost those privileges."  
  
He laughed at this. "Privileges? It is a privilege to watch you're fiancé get buried? Call me crazy but that is one privilege I will never ask for."  
  
"Then don't do it. Don't be the reason I end up in a casket. Either way, don't expect me to take you back."  
  
Draco looked around at all of the death eaters and the entire D.A. They were fighting tediously, ignoring Draco and Hermione's conversation. Weasley broke off after killing Crabbe and started running at full speed towards Draco.   
  
Draco, in self-defense, took the dagger in his hand and stuck it in Ron, halting Ron's attack on him. "NO!" Hermione screamed. That was when Draco knew just what he had done. Ron toppled over onto the floor, clutching to his side.  
  
"It's not that bad," he lied, smiling weakly at Hermione. "Just a little scrape. I'll be fine."  
  
Tears streamed down Hermione's cheeks. "Ron," she said in a whisper with a fake smile. "Good old Ron. Always looking on the bright side. What were you thinking anyway?"  
  
"I wanted to save both you and Harry for a change. Usually, you two always wind up saving me. I couldn't have that happen again, now could I?"  
  
"But Ron... now you're... you're..."  
  
"Dying?" he said with a smile. "No... it's not that bad, honestly." He rested his head in her lap and she ran her fingers through his red hair.   
  
"What were you and Harry thinking when you walked into this war? Now I could very well lose you both!"  
  
"You're... you're not... going... to... lose us... Mione," he said while struggling to stay awake. "I'll be... fine." His eyes began to flicker closed but she slapped him to keep him with her.  
  
"NO RON! Don't go! I can't lose you! I need you here! Don't go!" Just then, Parvati came rushing to her side, screaming and crying over Ron. "Parvati, calm down," Hermione said, immediately taking over the role of the mature one. "I need you to help Ron right now. Apply pressure at the wound where he's bleeding from. Once the bleeding slows down, try to levitate him out of here. Can you do that?"  
  
"I... I... I don't... I don't know!" the girl said, crying loudly.  
  
"Ron needs you right now, Parvati. Come on. Save his life!"  
  
Parvati nodded and Hermione gently moved Ron's head from her lap and into Parvati's. She got up and ran up to Draco, slapping him across the face and in the process, took out her wand and pointed in at his chest.  
  
"You bloody asshole! Why do you feel the need to take away everyone that I hold dear? Why? What did I ever do to you?"  
  
"Not that I care much," Draco said nonchalantly. "But the Weasel attacked me first! I have the right to self-defense!"  
  
"No you don't! You have no right! You don't even have a right to live any longer! I was the only thing that gave you purpose in your evil existence of a life. Now what do you have? NOTHING! YOU HAVE NOTHING! JUST A WAND AND AN EVIL SNICKER!" She pounded her fists against his chest in fury and began to sob.   
  
He grabbed her wrists and forcefully pulled her close to him. "I still have you,' he whispered, almost sounding like himself again. But it was too good to last. He quickly recovered. "And as soon as we win this battle, I will begin to take over the ministry and once they are in my grasp, I will take over the world!"  
  
She pushed him away. "Is that all you think about? What about us? Do I mean nothing to you? How could you do this to me?"  
  
He pulled her into an embrace again as she sobbed against his tuxedo. "I wasn't trying to hurt you... ever!" There he was again. "But I can't fight it anymore, 'Mi. It's too hard. I can't take it. Everyday I hear their voices inside my head. McGonagall. She's screaming, pleading for me to spare her life. I can still hear my own voice cackling cruelly as she withered away right in front of me. I need to be free from this torment, Hermione!" He turned his back towards her so she couldn't see his evil grin.  
  
She put her hand on his shoulder. "Then let's run away. Let's leave England. We'll go to France, hide on the beaches of Normandy and if they find us... we'll leave again and go somewhere else," she said hopefully.  
  
He turned around now, this time with his wand in hand and an evil smirk spread from ear to ear. "Oh goody! A trip to Normandy! That sounds lovely! Please mudblood, take me away!" His every word dripped with sarcasm.  
  
"I HATE YOU!" she screamed. She rose up her hand, this time not to strike him and not to threaten him with her wand. Instead, she took a gorgeous silver ring off of her ring finger and threw it at him. "You can keep your promises of a safe future together! I don't want it and I don't want you!"  
  
He leaned down and picked up the piece of jewelry, taking a step closer to her but she backed away. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"  
  
Deep down inside, his heart was breaking. That was when he knew that she was truly out of reach for him. She had called off their engagement and wouldn't even let him come near her. His face softened but only for a moment. In a sheer second, it was replace by a cold, hard face that appeared as though it were made of stone. "Good to see that you've finally given up on a dream," he said with a laugh. "I was beginning to question if you truly deserved that spot as head girl. How smart could you be if you believed there was ever a chance for you and young Malfoy to be together?"  
  
This puzzled her. Why had he referred to himself as "young Malfoy"? She racked her brain for a reason and when it hit her, she was comforted. It wasn't really technically Draco that was doing all of this. He had allowed the blood of Voldemort and Slytherin to affect his judgment. He was confused inside. That was her chance. All she had to do was to separate Draco from them and they would be safe again.   
  
"Look at me," she told him. He did, not really understanding her request. "Now look into my eyes." He did so again. Cold empty gray eyes met with warm loving brown ones. They were fighting a battle just by looking at each other. "Do you remember the first day you told me you loved me? You said that you had fought the war for me and that I was the only thing that kept you going for so long. I believed you then. I still would believe you. Come back to me. Please come back to me."  
  
He broke the eye contact. His mind was torn in two. Half of him wanted to reach out and strangle her with his bare hands but the other half wanted to reach out and claim her lips as his own in a passionate kiss.   
  
"Draco, listen to me," she commanded him. "I need you to come back to me. WE need you to come back to US."  
  
His eyes widened and his head snapped in her direction. He looked into her face to see if she was lying but of course, it was as truthful as the innocence of a child. He looked from her face down to her belly and back to her face.  
  
"That's right, honey," she said with a smile. "We're going to have a baby. So you see, I can't lose you now. I don't think I could handle raising a baby on my own." He glared at her with daggers in his eyes. If only looks could kill.  
  
"How dare you say this to try and keep me! I will not stay with you just because you are pregnant with a child that you claim is mine!"  
  
This more than offended her. "A child that I CLAIM is yours? What's that supposed to mean? Are you implying that I was promiscuous and there's no telling who the baby's father actually is?"  
  
"I was merely suggesting..."  
  
"NO! YOU are the only one I have ever been with! This," she said, motioning towards her belly. "This is your doing. The baby is yours."  
  
"How long have you known?"  
  
She looked down at her feet as crimson rose to her cheeks. "I've known for a little over two months."  
  
His jaw dropped. "Two months? And I didn't deserve to know? What were you thinking, Hermione? How could you do that to me?"  
  
"I... I... I was afraid."  
  
"OF WHAT?"  
  
"Of you," she admitted shyly. "I was afraid it would scare you away."  
  
He didn't say anything. All of his feelings were contradicting each other. He wanted to hold her and kiss her but at the same time, he wanted to smack her and tell her to go to hell.   
  
"SAY SOMETHING!" she shouted at him. His silence was too much to take. She wanted to know exactly how he felt. What was he thinking?  
  
"I have nothing to say," he said calmly. "You're pregnant and you chose to bring this to my attention... IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GOD DAMNED WAR! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? YOUR TIMING HAS TO BE THE WORST!"  
  
"I was thinking that if I died, at least you would know the truth."  
  
"And what is the truth, Hermione. Tell me something real."  
  
"The truth is... I am pregnant with your child and if I live, I plan on keeping it. And I will raise it to be just like you - kind, smart, caring, wonderful, loving. All of those qualities... our child will possess them all. Once they are grown, I will tell them about you. I will tell them that you were a great man. I will tell them about the good times we had. What I won't tell them, I won't tell them that you were the Dark Lord. I won't tell them that you betrayed me. But the biggest truth of all is that I love you and that is all that I need to know in order to keep me surviving."  
  
She stroked his cheek with her right hand and whispered, "I love you. Please..." tears streamed down her face. "Please forgive me for what I must do."  
  
"HUH?"  
  
"Close your eyes, Draco." She knew what she had to do but she couldn't do it with him staring at her. "Please close your eyes."  
  
The good in Draco obeyed her orders, knowing that what she would do was for the best. He allowed her to run her hands over his face, memorizing every feature of it. His eyes were closed and she pressed her lips upon his, feeling the sensation of his silky lips. She held on for as long as she could.   
  
"Goodbye, Draco," she whispered. "I love you." With that said, she took out his dagger that he had dropped in all of the confusion, and rammed it into his gut. His eyes flew open and she could see the hurt in his face. She knew that she had betrayed him but it was for the good of the world. He could not have fought against Voldemort and Slytherin. They were too strong. They were consuming him more and more with each second.  
  
As she looked at his face, watching him fall to the floor, she saw his eyes light up. "Thank you, 'Mi," he gasped. "You set me free. Thank you, my love."  
  
Then, he fell completely and his face connected with the ground. She knelt down at his side and held him close to her. She was sitting in a puddle of his crimson blood but it didn't matter right then. She loved him and now he was gone and it was all her fault. Soon, she passed out from all of the 'excitement'. Her head rested on his chest as she fell over and their bodies laid there lifelessly.  
  
Harry was running through the school, searching for Ron. It had been two weeks since the battle and the fact that they had won made his spirits soar.   
  
When he finally found Ron, they walked together up to the Hospital Wing. As soon as they got there, they rushed to a very familiar bed, one that was being occupied by their closest friend. Hermione was still unconscious.   
  
In the bed next to hers, a blonde haired Slytherin laid, unconscious as well. He had lost a lot of blood but Madame Pomfrey was doing her best to fix it. She had held a blood drive and many students had donated their blood to help the boy recover.  
  
Yes, school was out, but Harry and Ron stuck around to wait for their friend to wake up. They didn't want her to wake up and be alone. She was, after all, one of the most important things in their lives.  
  
Madame Pomfrey walked over to the two boys who sat on either side of Hermione's bed and sighed. "You lot can leave if you'd like. I'd tell her that you were here for as long as you could if she wakes."  
  
"IF?" Harry shouted. "Have you given up hope that she will ever wake up?"  
  
The mediwitch sighed once more. "As I told Mr. Malfoy, whether or not she wakes up is completely up to her. It is HER choice. No medicine or spell can cure her."  
  
"Oh," Harry said. "Do you think she can hear me in her sleep?"  
  
"I won't pretend to know the answer to that question, Mr. Potter. I don't want to get your hopes up."  
  
"Thanks anyway, Madame Pomfrey. I appreciate all of your help."  
  
"As I appreciate yours," she said with a smile. "You and Mr. Malfoy were the same blood type. It was your blood that I used to give him a blood transfusion. Three of them, actually. He's recovering quite nicely. Should wake up any day now."  
  
Harry nodded and left the room along with Ron, not wanting to risk Malfoy waking up and being in the same room as him. The only comforting thought for Harry was that Malfoy might possibly be sent to Azkaban the moment he woke. Harry snickered to himself. Then who would Hermione turn to? What a wonderful moment that would be, to comfort her and allow her to cry on his shoulder. He would indeed relish in the fact that he could comfort her when Malfoy was not around any longer.  
  
The mediwitch walked over to the bed of her only male patient to check on his vitals only to find that he was not there. There was no body in his bed. She looked around to see where he could be but he was nowhere to be found.   
  
"How is she?" a voice drawled from behind her. It was him.  
  
"She's been better," she replied exhaustedly. "Mr. Malfoy, please sit down and let me do a check up. You shouldn't be out of bed so soon. You're not well enough to..."  
  
"Leave me be, mediwitch. I want to watch her sleep for a while. When I am sure that she is indeed well, I will rest on my own. For now, let me watch her sleep." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand and then laid down beside her on her bed.   
  
"Hermione, please listen to me. I know you can hear me," he whispered into her ear. "I'm so sorry, 'Mi. I'm so sorry. Please, you have to wake up. We can be together now. They're dead. Most of them are dead. The death eaters have fall. Those who are not dead are in Azkaban. We need not worry about them any longer." Salty tears streamed down his face and he wiped them away. "We can..." A sob came out from the back of his throat. "We can have our family now," he struggled to say. "We can get married and we can be together. We can buy a house out in the country and raise our child to be good and we can love him... or her," he added as an afterthought. "I don't care what it is," he smiled. "So long as it has ten fingers and ten toes. But even if it has eleven, I will love our baby forever. Just as I do you."  
  
He heard his stomach growl and decided it was time to find food. "I'll be back, 'Mione. Don't go anywhere," he joked though it wasn't really funny to him. He was just saying it to try and get his depressed state in check.   
  
Harry walked over once more to where Hermione slept. No one was in the Hospital Wing at that point in time. He didn't even bother looking at Malfoy's bed, figuring he'd still be asleep. He sat down on the right of Hermione and took her hand in his. He kissed it gently and then brushed it across his face.   
  
"Hey, 'Mione," he said glumly. "I've got something to tell you now and I don't quite know how to say it, so I'm just going to talk and you just sit there and listen. Okay?" He knew she couldn't answer but it felt better to talk to her as though she were actually awake.   
  
"Okay, here goes nothing. Hermione, I'm... I'm... Merlin, this is even harder when I know you can't hear me. I'm... I'm...well I guess you could say that I'm sort of kind of maybe a little... in love with you. I've felt that way for a while. You drive me wild. You're my best friend, Hermione. But at some point, something in me changed. Maybe it was when I hit puberty or maybe it was when you showed us just how beautiful you could be while at the Yule Ball. Either way, I fell in love. You're gorgeous, 'Mione! The best part is, you don't even realize it. You think you're plain and dull, nothing special to look at. But the truth is, you're the most amazing woman I know. Yes, I said woman because you ARE a woman. I know you keep denying it. You told me so once. You called yourself a young lady but you aren't young anymore. You are all grown up. Just look at you! You're the smartest person I know, Hermione. You've got a great sense of humor and I know that you're dependable. You're always there when I need you to be. It's as if you're the only one I can truly count on. I love you, 'Mi. I love you."  
  
Her head started to move and she began to whisper. "Draco?" she said quietly. "Draco... is that you?"   
  
"I'm here, babe," Draco said, rushing into the room. He had been sitting outside the door, listening to Harry spill his heart out but now she was awake and he had to talk to her, to comfort her, to let her know how sorry he was. Forget about Harry. The love of his life had just woken up.  
  
A/N... okay... you know what? You guys are the greatest. I love you all so much. I hope you like this. The next chapter is going to wrap things up, give it some closure... I'm sorry this chapter was so short but it was the best place to end it. The next chapter should be up with in the next few days so keep an eye out for it.   
  
Please review for this chapter. I hope you liked it. 


	16. Suprises and Explanations

Disclaimer: Own Nothing. Get it? Got it? Good.  
  
Chapter 16: Surprises and Explanations  
  
Harry moved aside, knowing that that was what Hermione wanted. She obviously wanted Draco and Harry... well he just wanted her to be happy. He left the pair alone to sort out their differences.  
  
"Draco?" Hermione called again, this time louder but her eyes remained shut.  
  
"Yeah, I'm here," he said with a smile, taking Harry's seat and her hand. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." He kissed her forehead sweetly, allowing his lips to rest on her soft skin for a moment before pulling back.   
  
"Draco... the baby!" she said panicking. She appeared to be trying to sit up in her bed but was very weak again. He pushed her back in her bed.  
  
"Relax, relax my love. The baby is fine," he cooed comfortingly. "I had Madame Pomfrey check not too long ago. Everything is going to be fine now. Now that you're awake."  
  
She looked at him with hurt in her eyes. "You betrayed me! You were going to kill me, AND my friends! You would have done it, too! I had to stop you by trying to kill you!"  
  
"Yes but please understand that I'm sorry." He tried to take her hand in his but she continued to push him away. "I didn't mean to. It wasn't my choice. 'Mi, you have to believe me! I wouldn't have done it if I could have stopped myself. I love you too much to intentionally jeopardize any future we might..."  
  
"I believe you," she cut him off. "I believe that it wasn't you. But how do I know that it won't happen again?"  
  
"We should go talk to Dumbledore now."  
  
"But... but if we tell him everything then... then they'll kill me."  
  
"Hermione..." he said, helping her out of her bed. "Hermione, the spell is ended once they are dead. Pansy and Blaise were both killed. Potter took care of them."  
  
"R-R-Really? Oh... okay then. Let's go ask Dumbledore for a way to cure you." She tried to begin to walk on her own but of course, her legs were still weak.  
  
"Why don't you lay down and I'll go get Dumbledore."  
  
"No need, Mr. Malfoy," a voice said from behind him. "I am already here. Madame Pomfrey informed me that you were awake so I thought I'd stop by for a visit. POPPY!" he called. The woman came bustling in and nearly fainted at the site of Hermione sitting up in her bed. "Poppy, it appears that Miss Granger has woken up. Will you please get her some food. I'm sure she is starving after not having eaten solid food for over two weeks." Madame Pomfrey ran out of the room, rushing towards the kitchen.   
  
Dumbledore pulled over a seat to Hermione's bed as Draco just sat down next to her. "I believe we have some things to discuss," he said to them.  
  
"Yes," Hermione admitted. "We've been... well we've been keeping a few things from you."  
  
"Would you like to share them with me now?"  
  
"Yes," she replied quietly. "Well you see, once I got back from St. Mungo's, I was kidnapped. It was Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zambini. They used me as blackmail to get Draco to become the Dark Lord."  
  
"I see," Dumbledore said with a small smile, appearing as though he had already known this information. "I assume that your blood," he said to Draco, "was mixed with that of Lord Voldemort and Salazar Slytherin. Am I correct?" Draco nodded. "I see," he said once more.  
  
"Well the thing is," Hermione began again. "He's become very awkward at times. He gets evil and cruel. It's almost as though he's got multiple personalities."  
  
"I understand completely. He is the same as Tom Riddle once was. When he first became the Dark Lord, the man was kind and caring. Little by little, you could see it taking over him. How long has it been since you became the Dark Lord?"  
  
"Christmas," Draco replied, looking down at his shoes which he pretended were rather interesting.  
  
"I see." Hermione felt as though if he were to say 'I see' one more time, she might strangle him.   
  
"Am I going to go to Azkaban?" Draco asked.  
  
Dumbledore chuckled. "Now why would I send you to the prison if you were no longer the Dark Lord, Mr. Malfoy?"  
  
"HUH?" Hermione and Draco said at once.  
  
"I understand everything that you have told me but there's something you must know. I've known all of this for a while now. I first became suspicious when you, Ms. Granger, left Mr. Wood. I knew there must have been a reason. So I began to watch you as you fell in love with Mr. Malfoy once again. I know that you did a memory charm, Mr. Malfoy and it is all right. There are no penalties because you did it in order to help Hermione. Anyway, I watched you two and I talked to the portraits in your rooms that heard all of your conversations. I'm sorry for getting involved in your personal business but it was for the good of the school. So I heard of your being involved in the Dark Arts, Mr. Malfoy and I watched even closer. I knew everything. I allowed it to play out because I had heard the prophecy that was to come. And indeed you fell, Mr. Malfoy. Your equal struck you down."  
  
"I don't understand," Draco said. "I'm still alive though."  
  
"In the literal sense. Your equal killed the darkness inside of you. Mr. Malfoy, when you were brought here, you had lost a severe amount of blood. In fact, it was a miracle that you were still alive. Then, we gave you blood transfusions. We took Mr. Potter's blood. What you must understand is that wizard blood is different from muggles. Our blood, just like us, is magical. It has the power to control our actions if it does so chose and with you, it very much rules over who you are. You were infected with evil blood, but part of you was still good so you had the chance to fight it. Mr. Potter has pure good in his blood. When you lost so much of your own blood, only small portions of the remainder of it were evil. Then, when we added Mr. Potter's blood, it basically canceled out the evil bits. All that was evil in you is now good."  
  
"But..." Hermione said with a frown. "What about our child? Draco still had evil in him when the child was conceived. Will our child be evil?"  
  
"No, Miss Granger. You and I both know that YOU are the purest good in this world. Your blood is much stronger than even the most evil of evils. The good in you overruled the SMALL bit of evil in Mr. Malfoy."  
  
Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's neck, screaming in joy. "Oh Draco, that's such great news. Don't you think?"  
  
"Yes, the best of news," he said with a smile. "So... I'm not evil?" he asked the headmaster with happiness in his voice and a grin that reached his eyes.   
  
"No... you are not evil. Now if you'll excuse me," the headmaster said. "I have to go looking for a new Transfigurations professor for next term and a new potions professor as well."  
  
"What happened to Professor Snape?" Hermione asked in curiosity.  
  
"Nothing happened to him, my dear. He is getting promoted."  
  
"To what?"  
  
"He is taking the position of headmaster. I am old and weary. I have no business with young children any longer. It is time I moved over and let someone else take over."  
  
"Who are you looking at to take over their spots?"  
  
"Well... actually I was thinking that YOU, Miss Granger, would make an excellent Transfiguration professor."  
  
"ME?"  
  
"Yes, you. And Mr. Malfoy, you would be terrific as the potions professor. Do you not agree, the both of you?"  
  
"Well I... I..." Hermione was speechless. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that Dumbledore would ever offer her the job of her dreams. Yes, it was sad to be getting it because her favorite teacher was killed but she still loved the idea.  
  
Draco sat there, taking it all in. This had been a very eventful day. Hermione had woken up, the Dark Lord had officially been killed, and now he was offered the position of Potions Master, something he had dreamt about all his life.   
  
"I'd be honored, Professor Dumbledore," he replied.  
  
Hermione smiled. Of course if Draco was going to do it, so was she. "Count me in. I'd love to teach and mold young minds. It will be fascinating to watch their eyes grow wide as I fill their little noggins with new information."  
  
Draco laughed. "Leave it to 'Mi to be so ecstatic to spend more time in school."   
  
She playfully slapped is arm. "Stop teasing me," she whined.  
  
"But I can't help it," he said honestly. "You get so cute when you are mad." He kissed her lightly but stopped when he heard Dumbledore clearing his throat. "Sorry, professor. Forgot you were there."  
  
"It's all right, Professor Malfoy." Draco winced at the sound of it. Professor. He would have to get used to the title. "Now if you don't mind, I have papers to fill out, saying who the new professors will be. Ms. Granger, you have two very patient guests who have been waiting outside in the hall. Shall I send them in?"  
  
Hermione thought for a moment. She knew who he was talking about but she wasn't exactly sure if she was up to any visitors yet. "I guess so," she said meekly, flashing Draco an apologetic smile. Dumbledore rose from his seat and Draco followed.  
  
"I'll give you some time with your friends," Draco said. "I'll be back in about twenty minutes or so. That should give you time."  
  
"Thanks, sweetie."  
  
"Yuck... the nicknames," he said with fake disgust.  
  
"Oh stop pretending. You know you love it." She smiled as he kissed her right before leaving.   
  
As soon as he was gone, all Hermione could see was a red spot moving towards her. It was Ron. He began to take her in an embrace. "OH HERMIONE! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE ALL RIGHT! WE WERE SO WORRIED!"  
  
"Thanks, Ron. I was worried too."  
  
"Hey 'Mione," a voice said. It was Harry and he looked a bit... embarrassed? Hermione couldn't quite understand what would make him so afraid of her but he was definitely embarrassed or afraid of something.  
  
He came over and gave her a pat on the arm. That was it.  
  
"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked.  
  
Ron knew instantly what was going on. Harry was coming to terms with the fact that Hermione would never be his. She would never love him the way she did Malfoy and worst of all, she would never know that he ever wished that she would.  
  
"N...Nothing," Harry stuttered. "I'm just a bit shaken up is all. It's been quite a past couple of weeks or so and I could use a good nights rest."  
  
"Couldn't we all," Hermione laughed.   
  
They sat there for the next twenty minutes, talking and joking like old times, discussing anything that popped into their minds. When Draco returned, they had all loosened up and were practically rolling around in their laughter.  
  
"What's so funny?" he asked, almost angry that he had not been part of the joke.  
  
Hermione was the one to respond. "We were just discussing the time that you got turned into a ferret. Remember that?"  
  
He scowled. "How could I forget?" He really hated when she brought those things up.  
  
"I see that you still keep SOME of your evil traits. Really, Draco, you must stop with the scowling. It's not very attractive on you, SWEETHEART." She called him that just to annoy him and he knew it but he decided not to take the bait. Instead, he just smiled and patted her head.  
  
"You're such a lovely person to be around, Hermione." She stuck her tongue out at him but as soon as she did, he gave her a warning look. "Don't do that. Your tongue makes me think of the very things that made us parents in the first place and I don't think you want to do that HERE in front of your friends."  
  
"You're what?" Ron asked. "Did you say... p-pa-parents?" He looked as though he were going to pass out. Hermione looked from Ron to Harry. If you thought Ron's reaction was bad, wait until you saw Harry's. He was absolutely livid. He wouldn't even speak to her. He just ran out of the room. Hermione was about to chase after him but Ron stopped her. "Let him be. He'll calm down in a bit. Just give him time to adjust to the idea."  
  
Draco looked even angrier than Harry had been. He loved Hermione and he was definitely afraid of the competition. It wasn't necessarily the fact that there was competition. It was more the fact that the competition was Harry Potter. He had always suspected something going on between them. Now he knew how Harry really felt. He knew that Hermione had no idea but it didn't matter. He still didn't want her to spend time with Harry alone.   
  
But he kept his mouth shut. Why bring up bad thoughts if there's no need to yet? Ron left soon and Hermione moved over in her bed, making room for Draco.  
  
"Why are you upset?" she asked him, almost as if she could read his mind.  
  
"I'm not upset," he lied.  
  
"That's a dirty lie!" she said with a smile, happy to have caught him in the act of a lie. She could never tell when he was lying and he could always read her like a book.   
  
"No, it's a fib. There's a difference."  
  
"Sure there is," she said sarcastically. "Well then, keep your secrets. I'm too tired to fight. Can we sleep now?" she asked with hope in her eyes.  
  
He chuckled a little. "You've been sleeping for two weeks. You'd think that you'd be wide awake now." He looked at her face and saw exhaustion written all over it so he decided not to give her a hard time. "Oh all right. But when we wake up, I think we need to start our preparations for the wedding. I want to be married before the baby is born. Sound good?"  
  
She nodded her head but he knew she wasn't really listening. She was too tired to listen. She was drifting off into a dreamland. Hopefully it was a happy dreamland.  
  
That summer, Hermione and Draco stayed at Hogwarts, preparing their new lesson plans and also their wedding plans. They wanted to have the wedding on August 17. Draco had chosen the date. He decided on a summer wedding because that way, they didn't have to worry about school and they could still have their honeymoon. Draco kept teasing Hermione and saying that their honeymoon would be to the inn in Diagon Alley that they had stayed at before coming back to school but she would always wrinkle her nose at that. She wanted a big, fancy honeymoon. And he would give it to her but he wouldn't tell her where they were going until they were leaving for their destination.  
  
Hermione had begged and pleaded with Draco to make Harry or Ron the best man and Draco finally had given in. When he asked Harry and Ron to choose amongst themselves, he knew right away that Harry wouldn't want it. It would be painful to watch the girl you love marrying another. But he told them that whoever wasn't the best man at the wedding would instead be the godfather of the child. Ron wound up with the position of Best Man at the wedding.  
  
Hermione's maid of honor would be Ginny. She didn't have many female friends so Ginny was the closest thing.   
  
Instead of having her parents walk her down the aisle, she would go alone. The idea of it made her sad but she didn't admit this to Draco. She didn't want to bring up bed memories in the process of their wedding. Everything was to be perfect and she didn't want to ruin it.  
  
He knew though. He didn't say anything but he could tell she missed her parents, just as she missed Professor McGonagall. They had meant a lot to her.   
  
The day before the wedding, which was supposed to be a rehearsal dinner, Hermione and Draco sat in the castle in their room, ignoring what they were supposed to do. Hermione felt as though she needed to relax. The wedding was going to be small and that made it a lot less stressful but she still felt overwhelmed.   
  
Their guest list consisted of the entire Weasley family, Harry, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, and all of the Hogwarts professors. Draco didn't have anyone coming for him but it made no difference. Soon, that would all change. Soon, he'd have a wife and a child that would love him so it was insignificant if anyone was there for him now.   
  
They rested their heads on the same pillow and faced each other. His hands rubbed her belly and she giggled.  
  
"Hello, little baby," he said to her stomach. "I'm going to be your father."  
  
"Draco, I don't think it can hear you."  
  
"Why do you say that? YOU can always hear me when you're asleep. I can hear you when I'M in a coma. Why can't our baby hear me when he's in your belly?"  
  
She looked at him with a smile. "You said HE. Is that what you want? Do you want a little boy?"  
  
He thought for a moment. A boy would be great. He could take after Draco and he would raise his son to be strong and brave. His son would play Quidditch and be a great Slytherin. On the other hand, a daughter would be just as divine. A daughter would definitely take after her mother to become a strong-willed, persistent Gryffindor with the intelligence of her mother. He would pamper her and treat her like a princess. She would be his little angel.   
  
"Either or," he replied, feeling the happiest he had felt in a long while. They were at peace. Tomorrow, they would take their vows and bind themselves to each other forever. Everyone kept asking them if they were scared. Apparently it was supposed to be some sort of nerve racking experience but they didn't see it as that. They were both calm and that is why they didn't want a rehearsal dinner. They didn't want to risk getting stressed out right before the bid day.  
  
"Well I'm glad to hear it," she whispered. "Because we're going to have one of each."  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked confusedly. What on Earth was she talking about? Was she planning on having another child right after this one?  
  
"Now don't freak out but I talked to Madame Pomfrey today. She did a magical sonogram."  
  
"You know what we're going to have?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"But I thought we agreed that we didn't want to know. That we were going to be surprised."  
  
"I know but I couldn't help it! Anyway... do you want to know?"  
  
"No."  
  
"But..."  
  
"I don't want to know! I want to be surprised."  
  
"Fine. Suit yourself." She stood up and began walking to the bathroom.  
  
"I lied," he said as she reached the door.  
  
She stopped in her tracks and turned around. "HUH?"  
  
"I want to know."  
  
"Really? Or are you just saying that?"  
  
He took a second to think about it. There were pros and cons to each choice. "I want to know."  
  
She ran back to the bed and jumped on it excitedly. "We're going to have..."  
  
"WAIT!" he screamed. He sat up and took three deep breaths. "Okay, I'm ready."  
  
"We're going to have..."  
  
"WAIT!"  
  
"What now?"  
  
"Okay I'm ready."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are you positive?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay. We're going to have," and before he could interrupt her once more, she shouted. "TWINS!"  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"Yep. We're going to have both a boy AND a girl!"   
  
He stood up and gathered her in his arms and began rushing to the door.  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked in curiosity.  
  
"We have to start preparing. We have to go into Hogsmeade and buy some baby clothes. Now we have DOUBLE the shopping to do. We don't have enough time to do everything in. Maybe we should skip the honeymoon and..."  
  
"Not in a million years. Draco, put me down. Not everything needs to be done tonight or even within the next few months. We have until February to get everything ready."  
  
"Oh, right," he said sheepishly, feeling a bit foolish for jumping into everything. "What time is it?"  
  
"It's already eleven. I think we should go to sleep. I want to be well rested for the ceremony."  
  
"All right. A mother-to-be needs her rests anyway, regardless of if she is getting married the next day or not. Let's get you all tucked in bed and off to sleep." He carried her to the bed and tucked her in, placing a light kiss on the top of her head.  
  
"You're not joining me?" she asked as he began walking in the opposite direction.  
  
"No. I'm going to take a seat and think about some things."  
  
"Like what? Talk to me about them, won't you?'  
  
"You need your sleep and I need a walk. We'll talk tomorrow."  
  
"But tomorrow will be too hectic. I won't get a chance to see you until the ceremony. Talk to me now."  
  
He sat down on the bed and rested his head against her chest as they lay down in one another's arms. "I just don't want anything to go wrong tomorrow, 'Mi. Something bad always happens on important occasions and I don't want that to be the case. Everything has to be just so."  
  
"I know what you mean. Draco, I have a question for you."  
  
"What is it, my love?"  
  
"Have you invited your mother to the wedding? Did you even inform her of our marriage?"  
  
"I wrote her a letter a little while back, telling her that we were to be married but she never wrote back. I don't really want to think about her right now, though."  
  
"But she was a death eater, right? Did she fight in the battle?"  
  
"All Death Eaters fought in the battle."  
  
"Then what happened to her? Didn't all Death Eaters either go to Azkaban or die?"  
  
"She escaped without being found out. But Hermione, there's something you don't understand about my mother. She was never really evil. When Lucius and she first met, she was kind and good and she married him, not knowing just how far in he was with the inner circle of the Dark Lord. But when she found out, she tried to leave and he hexed her. The hex he placed on her sucked out all the good in her, making her cold and evil, just like him. It wasn't what she wanted though. I try to remember that each time she does something for the dark side. It's easy to forget though."  
  
She was shocked by all that information but it made her glad to know that Draco really DID have good in him, it was just overpowered by Lucius' blood.  
  
Hermione knew that he didn't want anyone to look down on his mother so she kept her mouth shut. It was hard to believe that there was actual good in the woman that had attacked her all those months ago but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that there was good in him, no matter how it got there.  
  
He flipped over in the bed and laid on his stomach, facing away from Hermione. He was tired now, as was she. She snuggled up to him and began rubbing his back.  
  
"I wouldn't have cared either way, whether she was good or evil. I love you just the same."  
  
They drifted off to sleep, preparing for tomorrow.  
  
A/N... okay... here is one of the final chapters. Now it could go one of two ways. I could have two more chapters left, and end the story there, or I could have one more chapter and then start a sequel that I've been planning. Which would you prefer? Please tell me in a review. I would greatly appreciate it.   
  
Thanks so much to all of my faithful reviewers. I know I haven't thanked each and every single one of you by name so far and I'm sorry but by the end of writing each chapter, to add special thanks would make each chapter way too long and my fingers always hurt when I'm done so... I'm really sorry. But I really DO appreciate all of your reviews and if I hope you keep up with your precise reviews 


	17. Welcome Home, Mrs Malfoy

Disclaimer: I own nothing, as always. Just the plotline, which by the way, was completely original.   
  
Chapter 17: Welcome Home Mrs. Malfoy  
  
Hermione paced back and forth. She was standing in a Hogwarts hallway, watching the clock impatiently. The ceremony wasn't for another fifteen minutes and she was already ready. 'This is taking far too long. I want to start this already! I'm too excited!' she thought to herself.  
  
In the opposite end of the school, Draco had just finished putting on his suit when he turned to Harry who was tying his black tie around his neck.   
  
Harry, though not the Best Man, was one of the groomsmen. He was talking animatedly to Ron about something that probably wasn't amusing to anyone but them.  
  
"Potter, I think that it's time we have a talk," Draco called to Harry, anxious to get this out of the way. Ron left the room for them to talk and Harry faced Draco, ready to handle whatever the Slytherin had to say.  
  
"Listen, Potter. I don't like you, never have and I never will. But Hermione likes you and you're her best friend. And I love Hermione so I have to be nice. But I know how you feel about her. I heard you pouring your soul out to her while she was still passed out. If that's going to get in the way of anything in the future, I want to know now so..."  
  
"Merlin Malfoy, haven't you realized it by now? She wants YOU! I could never change how she feels for you even if she did know how I truly felt!"  
  
"But are you going to TRY to change how she feels? I can't have you years later confessing that once upon a time, she unknowingly broke your heart. Don't tell me that you're just going to sit down and watch as I take her hand in marriage. I don't want any of that big beautiful romantic stuff where when the priest asks for anyone who sees any reason why we shouldn't wed to speak, you stand up and say something perfect to make her change her mind. Everything has to be perfect. I want her to have a nice relaxing day and I won't have you ruining..."  
  
"RELAX! I'm not here to steal your wife from right under your nose. I'm here because she asked me to be. That's it. Now, it's almost time to go so why don't you just leave it alone, Malfoy."  
  
Draco smirked. "You know, you're going to have to watch when you call me that now. Your best friend is going to be a Malfoy pretty soon now. How are we going to know who you're speaking to from now on?"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes and was about to leave but Malfoy stopped him once more. "Potter, I have a proposition for you and I'd understand if you weren't comfortable doing it."  
  
"What is it Malfoy?"  
  
"I want you to walk Hermione down the aisle. You see, her parents are dead and she won't admit it, but it pains her to walk down the aisle alone, to not have anyone give her away. I was going to ask Dumbledore, but I think that she would prefer YOU. Besides, Dumbledore is the one conducting the ceremony so it would be weird to have him do both. Will you do it?"  
  
The idea intrigued him. Giving away his best friend, the love of his life. He knew he would never have her in the way that he yearned but at least he could be a large part of the happiest day of her life. He extended his hand to Draco and they shook hands in a silent truce. They put aside all of their hate for one another for the woman who had captured both of their hearts.  
  
The wedding itself was being held in a courtyard of stone that was on the Hogwarts premises. Draco and Hermione had discovered it on one of their walks one day and had instantly taken to it. It was a round courtyard, not too big which was in fact perfect because they didn't have many people coming.   
  
Hermione approached the stone platform and saw everyone she loved and cared about and prepared to march down the aisle. 'I wish someone was here to give me aw...'   
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw an outstretched arm in front of her. It was Harry. "Come on, 'Mione," he said with a smile. "Let's take a walk."  
  
The corner of her lips rose in a smile and she kissed his cheek, wrapping her around his. 'This is by far the happiest day of my life,' she thought silently. The organ began to play and she walked her way down with Harry.  
  
"You know, I just want to inform you, Harry, that you mean the world to me. I love you so much, Harry. I appreciate everything you've ever done for me. There's no one in the world I would rather have to give me away. You know that, right?"  
  
"I know, 'Mione. Thanks." He looked at her and saw how calm she was and smiled. "You're so different from most women 'Mione. I would have thought that you'd be a barrel of nerves by now. I always heard that women get really nervous on their wedding day."  
  
"Well I have nothing to be nervous about. I know that Draco will take care of me, regardless of what dangers may come. And if he doesn't, that's why you're here." They both laughed and then stopped walking as they noticed that they had reached the alter.   
  
She looked from Harry to Draco and then back to her best friend. She had heard everything he said while she was asleep. She knew his feelings for her now but she decided to pretend as though nothing was different. Time heals all wounds, that's what she liked to think.  
  
Harry faced her and looked into her eyes. "Here you are, about to bind yourself forever to a man I despise and yet... I couldn't be happier for you." And he meant it too.   
  
He just wanted her to be happy and even if it wasn't with him then so be it. He loved her so much that he had to let her go. That's what she wanted and so that's what he wanted.  
  
"Thanks so much, Harry." She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek and then whispered into his ear, "For everything."  
  
Then, she turned, finally letting Draco get a really good look at her. She was wearing a VERY simple dress. It was completely white, with thin straps. It wasn't long, either. It went down to a little above her knees, perfect for the hot summer weather. He hair was down, in wonderful curls with a few hairs strategically spread out in front of her face. She had a few white clips in her hair, holding back some loose strands. She looked like an angel in his eyes.   
  
He stepped forward and took her hands in his, kissing each one tenderly. "This is it," he whispered. "No backing out after this."  
  
"I would never turn back. I don't want to even think about what my life would be like without you."  
  
"Shh..." he whispered. "Save it for the vows." Dumbledore was the priest and he began the ceremony as usual. Everything seemed a blur to Hermione and Draco until he got to the vows.  
  
"Draco," he called him by his first name for the first time in his life. "Would you like to go first?"  
  
Draco nodded. "Hermione," he said, making sure that he had her attention. "When I first met you, I had to look twice. I never knew muggle borns could be angels as well. I loved you from the moment my eyes first caught site of you but you were forbidden to me. So I faked a hatred for you and pretended that I despised you, all the while wishing that you were mine. I watched as you went out with men that I knew could never satisfy you and it pained me to think that I would never have the chance to be the one to hold you and kiss you, let alone marry you.  
  
"I wanted to be with you so badly. Then, the war began and the only reason I fought was to save you. The rest of the story, you already know but I need to tell you again. You're amazing to me. The way you walk, smell, look, act, smile, everything about you makes me crazy. I lay in bed at night thinking how on earth I could have possibly gotten that lucky as to be lying in bed with a goddess. You are my Gryffindor Goddess Hermione.  
  
"I love every strand of hair, every stray tendril, every eyelash, every bone in your body, even your toes, which you always hide because you're disgusted by feet." They both chuckled lightly and he saw tears welling up in her eyes. "I love the way you get when someone is complimenting you, completely modest, not even realizing how true the compliment is. I love the way you bite your lip when you're nervous or excited, like you're doing right now." She was about to protest but noticed that he was truly correct so she stopped which only encouraged him to laugh once more.   
  
"You're adorable when you're studying and you put a quill behind your ear and your hair falls in front of your face, blinding you from actually being able to see anything but that never stops you. You just keep right on reading. I used to despise the fact that you were better than me in everything but now I see that it's that quality that draws me to you. I'm sure I've told you this before, Hermione, but I must say it again. You are amazing. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."  
  
He took a deep breath, glad to have gotten it over with. She looked at him, wishing they could hurry up to the kissing of the bride part but alas; she still had her long vows to make. "Draco," she began. "This world has been against us from the beginning. There was always a reason for us NOT to be together. You were a Slytherin. I was a Gryffindor. You were pureblooded. I was a muggle born. We were supposed to be enemies. And we were for a while. At least, we pretended to be enemies for a while. I always secretly knew that deep down I liked you.   
  
"But you made my life a living hell. All the teasing and tormenting and yet I still couldn't figure out why I let it bother me so. I wanted it to just roll off my shoulders but I kept letting it get me down. But now I'm here and you're here and there's nothing stopping us.   
  
"When we were in St. Mungo's... I watched as you transformed from the boy I once claimed to hate, to the boy I knew I could love. When I collapsed on the floor, you helped me up again. When I was too weak to walk, you carried me. When I was captured and tortured, you saved me. When I was depressed and lonely, you were there to comfort me. All of those things have led us here today and they have made us better people. Along the way, we've been hurt and brought down but we kept going. The road was hard but we knew that someday, it would end up this way, you... and me... together forever and it makes me so happy. I feel like I could fly.   
  
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have hundreds of kids and live in a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence. I want to have a big family, Draco, with the perfect home. It would be my honor to be your wife."  
  
Hermione didn't care anymore. She leaned forward and kissed him, not long, just for a second but it made her feel much better.   
  
Dumbledore acknowledged the end of her speech and moved on. "Now if anyone here sees any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."   
  
Draco looked back at Harry just to make sure but it didn't even appear as though Harry was upset by any of it. Harry was just smiling broadly and gave Draco a small wave, just to get him on edge.  
  
Suddenly, a voice could be heard throughout the courtyard. "Wait," they said. Draco and Hermione searched the crowd to see who it was and finally their eyes settled on Narcissa Malfoy. "Wait," she said again.  
  
"What do you want, mother?" Draco asked sounding annoyed.   
  
She approached the alter and walked straight to where Draco stood. "How could you go through with this wedding," she paused as if that was the end of her question but soon followed it up with, "If your mother isn't here to witness it?" She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I give you my blessing, my son. If this is the girl you choose, then so be it."  
  
She took a seat amongst the crowd and Dumbledore continued with the ceremony.   
  
"If no one else objects to the marriage then we shall move on. Draco, do you take Hermione, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health until death do you part?"  
  
He paused for a moment, making it dramatic but finally gave in, not wanting to wait a second longer. "I do."   
  
Hermione playfully hit his arm. It wasn't that hard though it was enough to make him apologize.  
  
"And Ms. Granger, do you take Draco to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health until death do you part?"  
  
"Of course I do. I will love him even in the afterlife." She glared at him as if proving that she was the better person for not stooping to his level.  
  
"The rings," he said as Harry took them out of his pocket and gave them out. "Draco, please place the ring on her finger and repeat after me. "With this ring..."  
  
They each followed after Dumbledore's instructions and Hermione paused to look at her ring. It was gorgeous. It had a slightly larger diamond on it than the engagement ring (which she had gotten back) and it had an inscription inside. 'I love you 'til death do us part.' She wanted to kiss him right then.  
  
"Wonderful!" The old headmaster replied. "Then by the power vested in me by the church, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He leaned in and whispered to the newlyweds. "You may kiss the bride." And Draco did. He kissed her with all the passion and fervor that he could muster. He kissed her until he could no longer breath. He kissed her so forcefully that her lips were swollen when he pulled away.   
  
The music began playing and Hermione and Draco began walking away, leading everyone out of the courtyard.   
  
Hermione thought to herself as they walked down the aisle. It was without a doubt the most magical day of her life. Since it was night, the ceremony had been held by candlelight and the candles were hovering in the air, emitting a lavender scent. Draco had picked them out with the knowledge that it was her favorite. Clouds hovered low above the ground creating a cool mist, which was helpful in the summer heat.  
  
As soon as the ceremony was complete, Hermione faced all the guests with tears in her eyes. "I want to thank you all so very much. You mean the world to me and without you all, I'd be lost."  
  
Ron stepped up and took her hand in his. "Since you've decided on no reception, I'll give my best mans speech right now. Hermione, I never liked Mal... I mean Draco. We fought and argued and never got along. I thought he was the scum of the Earth, still would too if you didn't tell me otherwise. But you changed him. He began to act differently the moment you two got together and that's when I knew. Your love made him a good man. You two are meant for each other. I'm happy for you, 'Mione. I really am."  
  
By this time, Hermione had broken down and was leaning on Draco for support. Tears streamed down her cheeks.   
  
"Now dear," Molly Weasley said. "Don't cry. You wouldn't want your mascara to run, now would you?" she asked with a laugh.  
  
"Mione doesn't wear makeup, Mr. Weasley," Harry said. "She doesn't need to. She's perfect the way she is."  
  
Hermione ran to Harry and embraced him. "Thank you. You're one of the best friends a girl could have." He smiled and thought for a moment. Though it would be a hard task getting over Hermione, he knew he could do it. Everyone has a soul mate out there somewhere; you just have to find them. Hermione had already found hers, which meant that somewhere out there, his was still waiting for him. He kissed her forehead and smiled down upon her.  
  
"Congratulations, Mrs. Malfoy. You are now married and about to be with children. How does it feel?" he asked, placing one hand on her belly.  
  
She chuckled. "Well I haven't begun to get fat yet so I imagine that the morning sickness is the least of my worries. Stretch marks and back pains sound far less appealing to me." She hugged him once more and then she moved on to Ginny. "Thanks, Gin, for being my maid of honor. You're a great friend." Then she gave the rest of the Weasley's a hug and followed by giving ALL of the professors a hug. That includes Snape. "You've all had such a large part in shaping who Draco and I are today and we appreciate it."  
  
Then, Draco summoned his broom to him and got on, holding his hand out to his wife. "Hop on, love. Our honey moon awaits."  
  
"No!" she shook her head. "NO! NO! NO! Draco, you KNOW I don't like to fly!"  
  
"You're going to have to get over that fear of yours sooner or later. We can't apparate from Hogwarts so flying is the best method of transportation. Don't you trust me?"  
  
"Not with my life!"  
  
He put his hand to his hurt and pretended to be hurt. "I'm offended!"  
  
"You shouldn't be," Harry said. "It's nothing against you. She wouldn't ride with Ron or me either."  
  
"Well I'd like think I ranked just a wee bit higher that you on her scale, Potter, but I guess I'm just the same. Come, Mrs. Malfoy. Give me a small ego boost knowing that you'll fly with me and not them. Please?" He stuck out his lower lip and began to pout like a little lost puppy.  
  
She couldn't resist and cautiously took his hand and sat on the broom in from of him. "If you even dare let go of me for just one second, even to be funny, I swear I'll..."  
  
"Hex your husband into next century?" he asked with a smirk but she just matched his evil grin with her own seductive one.  
  
"No. I'll make you sleep on the couch." His jaw dropped.  
  
"On our honeymoon? You wouldn't dare."  
  
"Try me." She knew that Draco would never take the chance and it was a good thing too. She would never have followed through with her threat.  
  
Hermione waved goodbye to everyone and Draco kicked off. The second her feet left the floor, she jerked back, pushing her into Draco and she quickly made sure that se was facing him so that way she could hold on by wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
"So NOW will you tell me where we are going?"  
  
"NO!" he said. "You'll have to guess."  
  
"I love guessing games," she said excitedly. "Okay, I guess that we're going somewhere in North America. Are we going to Hawaii?"  
  
"You're way off, pet. Try sticking to Europe seeing as the states don't really make me jump for joy." He had been there once as a child and the experience was unnerving to say the least. He had gotten lost in New York City and couldn't find his parents so he got on the wrong train and wound up in Queens with no way of finding his family. The only reason they had been there was for a Death Eater meeting otherwise they would have never gone and Draco would make sure never to go again. "Bloody Americans," he mumbled under his breath.  
  
She laughed having already heard the story. "Are we going to Paris?" she asked hopefully.  
  
"No but you're getting closer."  
  
She put on her thinking face, which always put a smile on Draco's face and finally came up with a good answer, or so she thought. "We're going to Germany? I always wanted to go to Germany on vacation."  
  
He shook his head. "Well I'll remember that for next time but we are definitely not going there on our honeymoon. Now come on Hermione. Think."  
  
"You would have a hard time thinking too if you were in my position."  
  
"Listen, it's not that hard. Think of a place that we've discussed before. A place you mentioned that you would love to go."  
  
Hm... could it be? "Draco, are you serious?" she asked the moment it dawned upon her.  
  
"As a heart attack."  
  
"Really? Oh this is just wonderful!" she exclaimed, hugging him tighter. "I love you so much. Normandy will be so beautiful. I've never been there before but Lavender Brown went last summer and told me that it was the best place she's ever been. Which hotel are we staying at?"  
  
He wanted so badly to give her all the details but also wanted to keep it a surprise. "We're not staying at a hotel," he answered.  
  
"But..."  
  
"No more questions. You'll see once we get there.  
  
They flew for a few more hours in silence, enjoying one another's presence. Every once in a while, she would give him a kiss or two just to show him how happy she was but other than that, they really just sat there in joy at how smooth the day had gone.  
  
Hermione fell asleep in his arms and he became extra careful and tightened his grip around her, making sure she couldn't fall over. Soon, they got to their destination. They landed on a beach and Draco woke her up, taking her white sandals off so she could walk barefooted in the sand. He did the same as well and rolled up the bottom of his pants.   
  
"Why are we on a beach, Draco? Is this where you plan on staying? Camping outside all night? That would be romantic," she said half asleep.  
  
"I'm sure you'd enjoy that very much but no. We are not camping under the stars. Follow me." He began trekking up a small hill and when they reached the top, a mansion was in view.   
  
"Draco, is that... your house?"  
  
"No," he said with a genuine smile. "It's ONE of OUR houses."  
  
"Wh-wh-what? ONE? Huh?" she asked, nearly falling over.  
  
"Yes. It's one of OUR houses. You see...Malfoy's are rich. We are known to have a lot of money. Before my father died, not realizing yet that I was a so-called traitor, he put in his will that I got everything. All I have to do is leave my mother one of the houses. That's fine though because we have ten altogether, located all over the world. She took one of the ones that we had in London and this is one is all ours. What do you think? Is it good enough?" he asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
"Is it good enough?! Draco, it's TOO good! I can't believe that I'm married to one of the richest men in the world." She started talking as if she was talking to herself in a dream. "I am Mrs. Draco Malfoy. Hello. My name is Mrs. Hermione Granger Malfoy. Hello, I am Mrs. Malfoy." She was sort of walking off on her own in no particular direction and Draco couldn't resist the urge. He tapped her shoulder on the right side and then jetted off to the left. She turned to her right to see what he wanted but he wasn't there. She turned in the opposite direction and still saw no one. Where had he gone?   
  
She kept looking around and saw a streak of blonde running off into the dark night. "Come on, Draco! That isn't funny! Come on. I don't know where we are and I don't have a key to the house and it's pitch black and please come out?"  
  
He was hiding behind a bush listening to her babble and thought about how cute she was. She liked to babble when she was nervous. Many people did, but she was cuter than most people. When others ramble on when they are nervous, it makes them look incompetent and weak. She just looked so adorable when she was all vulnerable like this.   
  
She was walking nearer and nearer to the bush in which he was hiding behind and he decided to jump out from behind and surprise her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and playfully bit her neck as though he was a vampire. "I vant to suck your blood," he whispered into her ear, reminding her a great deal of Victor Krum due to the accent.  
  
"Draco, you fool! You scared the living daylights out of me. I can't believe you would do that to me... on our honeymoon no less!" She stormed off in the direction of the mansion but he caught up to her.   
  
"It is traditional for the groom to carry the bride to their room on their wedding night!" He tried to sweep her off of her feet but she refused to budge.  
  
"Well there's nothing traditional about our marriage now is there?" she said, poking him hard in the chest and backing him into a stone rock, causing him to trip and fall. Immediately, she kneeled down at his side and tried to nurse him. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just pretending. Draco, are you okay?"  
  
He growled a little whilst trying to stand back up and then, as he was pretending to sweep off some sand from his pants, caught her unaware and swept her off the floor, carrying her to the house.  
  
She was kicking and screaming, really being a very good pretender. "Oh quit your whining and just let me take care of you as I have promised to do from now until the day the world ends."  
  
She stopped as they approached the door and she shuttered. There was no bell. Instead, they had a large door knocker in the shape of a serpent's mouth, opening up trying to bite you. It was bewitched so that if an enemy were to knock on it, their hand would be bitten off. It was one of Draco's favorite parts of the house.  
  
He took out a key and handed it to Hermione who was still in his arms. "You do the honors," he commanded. She slowly slid the key in the slot and twisted it to the right. "Welcome home, Mrs. Malfoy."  
  
THE END  
  
A/N... I'm sorry to say it but yes, that really was the end. I WILL be having a sequel though. I'm in the process of writing it. It's going to start off about seventeen years in the future. Hope you enjoy it. It's called Love Will Conquer All.  
  
Anyway, even though this one is done, I'd still really appreciate reviews. I need them to survive. When I don't get reviews, I feel all depressed and sad and it's as if I am a bad writer which a lot of you have told me you do not believe so I thank you.  
  
If you like smut, I just began to write a story called That Was Weird, but don't read if you don't like smut. Also, I have a one shot fic called Carpe Dium that I'd love reviews on.  
  
Thanks again and all my love to all of you,   
  
Just Crazy 


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